A New Wind
by Silvion
Summary: Albus Potter's first year at Hogwarts should have been great and by all means had started well. However, tensions grow as many families feel traditional wizarding culture is in danger. One wizard feeds their fear and uses them to further his own cause. When the power struggle reaches Hogwarts, it is once more up to a Potter and his friends to stop evil.
1. Prologue I

Prologue I: Mortimer

Mortimer hated Tom Riddle. Not necessarily for all the bloodshed and murder. While he despised such pointless loss of life, it had been in service of a noble ideal, simply taken too far. No, he hated Riddle for his legacy. After the war, the Ministry changed course and did whatever it could to include Muggleborns and protect Muggles. And that was wonderful, of course. However, in their eagerness, the Ministry was forgetting what it meant to be a wizard. Ancient wizarding culture was discarded and anyone who dared to raise the point that maybe Muggleborns should be properly integrated, taught traditional wizarding values, was branded a Death Eater.

It was, in short, infuriating. During the summer, Muggleborns went home and played with their electronic toys and watched movies rather than read wizarding books. They didn't go to the Quidditch World Cup but instead went to the European Football Championship. And when they walked in Diagon Alley, they wore designer suits rather than proper robes. Wizarding culture was on the verge of dying. What had made them great was now disregarded. Mortimer would not permit it. He could not permit it.

And that was why he had come here today, together with several prominent wizards of all origins. Even some Muggleborns had seen the light, such as the woman at his right. Diana Hawke, professor Muggle Studies at Hogwarts and together with Mortimer, co-author of the Wizarding Culture Manifesto.

Mortimer couldn't help but smile when he saw her. She wore wizarding robes with an ease and dignity not even the haughtiest Pure-blood could surpass. That was what they were fighting for. Not the elimination of Muggleborns and Muggles. They were not as foolish or murderous or Riddle. No, perfect integration, that is what they sought. Enter our society, but adapt was their credo.

Diana smiled at Mortimer when she saw him staring and then gestured at the head of the table, reminding him to pay attention. Mortimer grimaced and focused back on the tall Witch speaking in front. Quinn Fowler was an engaging speaker and an extremely talented witch, but sometimes she was just a bit long-winded. Still, Mortimer was glad that he had focused back on her because that was the moment when she passed the word to him.

"On the second of September, I will present the Wizarding Culture Manifesto I wrote together with our two talented colleagues over there. Mister Dawson, could you please give everyone a brief summary of the finished work? The full copy will be available for everyone's perusal afterwards, naturally, but a brief introduction could do no harm."

Dawson chuckled slightly as he pushed his chair back and rose. Of course he had to give a summary. Fowler might claim to be the co-author, but her only contribution had been the title and her signature at the end. She had been too busy for such menial work as actually writing it and had thus delegated it to Mortimer and Diana. He didn't mind, it had strengthened his position in the group, but her desire to claim equal credit was maddening

Still, he could hardly divulge that detail today. The nine other present here were his strongest allies in this struggle. All of them would sign the Manifesto and support their cause. They were respected members of society. Ministry officials, Hogwarts professors and other renowned wizards. All beyond approach, all in no way associated with Death Eaters. If he attacked Fowler now, they might reconsider their support. Therefore, he gave everyone a genial smile and raised his hands for silence.

"Friends. I am so proud to stand here today before you. But before I speak, allow me to clarify one thing. I no longer bear the name Dawson. I have finally reclaimed my rightful heritage and am now officially called Mortimer Le Fay," he declared.

As expected, some chuckled and others frowned in annoyance. Many clearly doubted his ancestry but it was all Mortimer had. Apart from writing the Manifesto, he was a wizard of little renown. If his new surname inspired respect in even one of them, it was worth it. After all, he was truly related to Morgana Le Fay. Most of them were for that matter, that's what you get with Pure-Blood inbreeding, but Mortimer had a more direct tie. Or so he believed at least, family trees were easily enough manipulated so there was no telling if he was truly a descendant.

"Now, for the Manifesto. It is five pages long and divided in three parts. In the first part, we acknowledge the need for change after Riddle's fall. We praise the Ministry for its accomplishments. In the second part, we list our grievances and concerns in the most conciliatory tone possible. I know many of you have strong feelings on the topic, but I have been instructed to not be provoking. If we are too headstrong, people will compare us to Death Eaters and our cause shall be marginalised. In the third part, we propose a list of solutions, all rather benign. I remind all of you, this Manifesto is but a first step. We all want to leap forward and change the world before it is too late, but haste can only bring our downfall in this matter. We need to be stronger first," he concluded as he sat down again.

A polite applause followed but quickly ended once Fowler rose again. Mortimer sighed. He still lacked their respect. He was young, unproven. They'd realise the errors of their ways eventually though.

"Thank you Mortimer," Fowler said, "and your conclusion nicely ties back into my next point. We are not strong enough. Few wish to associate with us and many who wish to join forces are not desirable allies. Former Death Eaters such as the Malfoys will do more harm than good. I know some of you," she said with a pointed glare at Mortimer, "have advocated more drastic measures. Nonetheless, the majority of us believe a cautious and non-confrontational approach is the preferred alternative. I therefore urge all of you to not do anything rash and wait. I firmly believe the Manifesto will suffice to incite change."

Mortimer smiled and nodded. Fowler was showing her usual reticence, she'd regret it eventually. Once he had The Elder Wand, she'd understand what power she had missed out. It is not as if he had wanted it to himself. He had offered to find it and give it to her, all too aware the Elder Wand was a lodestone for trouble. However, after her rejection, he had no choice but to claim it for himself. If she was unwilling to take the necessary risks, he would.


	2. Prologue II

**Prologue II: Albus**

Albus Severus Potter was lying on his bed in his room and stared at the ceiling. In three days, he would find himself on the Hogwarts Express, ready to go to Hogwarts. For years he had longed to go there, a longing that only increased when his brother had started there. But now, now with the moment so close, he was afraid. No doubt that if a boggart were to walk into his room, it'd look Hogwarts-related.

He had big shoes to fill. His father had been The Chosen One. During his time at Hogwarts he had performed innumerable feats of heroism, or perhaps stupidity, but those seemed to be rather closely related, especially for Gryffindors. Regardless, Albus doubted he'd come even close to rivalling those deeds. For one, as his brother had pointed out, they were lacking a dark lord.

However, above all, Albus was afraid of a more basic thing, namely the Sorting. Not because of the procedure. His father had made it very clear that James' tales about fighting a troll was just mere fantasy, though according to his uncle Ron, facing a troll as a first year was perfectly doable. No, he was afraid of the outcome. His parents had been Gryffindors, as had been most of their friends. And so was his brother. But Albus wasn't James, or his father. He would never dare to sneak around in the castle at night and face down professors and dark wizards. He doubted very much he would possess the courage for that. He doubted very much he was Gryffindor enough for that.

Admittedly, not being sorted in Gryffindor wouldn't be the end of the world. Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw had all yielded fine wizards and witches. The problem was that not being a Gryffindor meant you could be a Slytherin. Sure, everyone said there was no problem with Slytherins. Everyone said Slytherin had changed. Everyone said they were good now. But he knew that everyone who said that, was relieved when their child didn't get sorted into Slytherin and then promptly told said child to stay away from the Slytherin students. They were budding dark wizards. At The Battle of Hogwarts they had shown they were untrustworthy and Albus doubted they'd gotten rid of that image in the meantime.

Albus' musings were interrupted when his door burst open and a girl with brown hair stormed in. _Rose_.

"Al! Why are you sitting up here? Did James do something mean again?" Rose exclaimed as she walked up to him.

"Good to see you too Rose. I see you still haven't gotten the fine art of knocking down," Albus replied as he got up from his bed and gave his cousin a hug. He tried to give her a quick one, but Rose hugged him fiercely and only let him go after several seconds. Albus gasped for air as his cousin continued to speak.

"Come on. Tell me why you are brooding up here and leaving me with the boring adults downstairs? We are almost going to Hogwarts, something you've been unable to shut up about for four years. Don't tell me you don't want to go all of a sudden!"

"I want to go Rose, I really do. But I'm afraid to let people down."

"Let people down? Al, you'll do great! You're smart! Though clearly not smart enough to stop this silly worrying. Sure, I'll be top of the class, but everyone expects that. There's nothing wrong with being second best, especially as James is not event tenth best," Rose giggled.

"That's not exactly the reason why I was hiding up here, but thanks for raising another concern Rose," Albus replied, "no, I'm afraid of…ah, forget it, it's silly."

"That it no doubt is, but that's no reason not to tell me. Even silly worries need to be dispelled and I'm the best at it. Now, speak up. That's an order."

Albus grimaced. He knew Rose all too well. Her orders were either followed immediately, or after several hours of her badgering you to comply. Even his brother James, who stood up to professors gave in to her. He took a deep breath, dropped down on his bed and spoke with downcast eyes.

"I'm afraid I'll not be in Gryffindor, but in Slytherin," he whispered.

"What? Why? Don't tell me you're a dark wizard and you've been hiding that all along?" Rose exclaimed with a mischievous grin, "I knew that pet rock of yours was a Horcrux! You were always too protective of it."

"See? That's exactly why I'm afraid. I might end up in Slytherin and then everyone will think I'm evil. I'm not, but who knows what that barmy old hat will decide? It's been set on fire after all; maybe it's been deranged ever since."

"Al, I was just joking. But really, your concerns are silly, as I said."

"I know Rose, you're always right after all," Albus muttered but Rose for once did not rise to the bait.

"Exactly, and that's why I'm right now too. Your concerns are silly for several reasons. One, you're a perfect fit for Gryffindor! Remember when we went to see Hagrid and he showed us Buckbeak? No one dared to; we were all terrified, even your big-mouthed brother James. But then you stood up and petted him. You'd even flown on him if your mom hadn't stopped you."

"I only did that because I was afraid to hurt Hagrid's feelings. And I expected mom to stop me before I got on the beast. There was nothing courageous about."

"Nothing courageous? Please Al, did you see his claws? We all heard my dad's tales about how Buckbeak once nearly eviscerated Draco Malfoy. What you did took real courage. You should stop trying to play down your accomplishments though, or the hat will put you in Hufflepuff. Anyway, second reason, even if the hat's barmy, it must have some sense of self-preservation. I'm sorted first. I will give it a stern talking to and tell it to put you in Gryffindor unless it wants to get beaten up by me. And I might be short, but I can definitely take a hat."

"Okay, sure, threaten the hat. Then it will definitely put you in Slytherin, as well as me."

"Thirdly," Rose continued, "there's really nothing wrong with being put in Slytherin, no matter what my dad says. Did you hear James gush about the Defence against the Dark Arts professor? He used to be a Slytherin, he's even their head of house now, and everyone loves him. Times have changed Al. Voldemort's dead, the Death Eaters have been arrested and Slytherins aren't bad anymore."

"Yeah, Ravenclaws are the real problem, or at least that kid Davis," James shouted as he walked into the room, "real annoying blighter that is. He's the one who sold me out to professor Bakshi, I just know it. He's the only one who could have seen me hex the tables…Sorry, am I interrupting something?" James asked as the two younger kids stared at him.

"We're mostly wondering why you barged in here all of a sudden," Rose remarked, "as that's quite impolite. Everyone knows I'm the only one allowed to do that."

"Oh, dad sent me. He wanted to know why you were hiding up here instead of being downstairs. I was wondering myself. After all, I'm downstairs and there's no reason why you wouldn't want to be close to the coolest person ever," James declared, "unless you went up here hoping I would come find me so you could have me all to yourself."

"Of course," Albus muttered dryly.

"We're just up here because Al's being silly."

"Of course, he's always silly. You'll have to be more than specific than that though," James asked in a manner he no doubt thought was sly. Albus mouthed a quick _don't_ at Rose but either she didn't see it, or didn't care.

"He's afraid of being in Slytherin," Rose answered.

"Al? In Slytherin? My little brother? That's ridiculous! You're a Gryffindor if I ever saw one," he said as he ruffled his younger brother's hair, "remember that time you told that Muggle kid from the down the street you'd beat him up if he teased Lily one more time? He was almost a head taller than you and still you stood up for your sister. No, you'll be a Gryffindor. Especially as after he had beaten you to a pulp, you repeated your warning."

"Wow…thanks James," Albus stammered, surprised by his brother's unusual thoughtfulness.

"Don't thank me yet, because if you think I won't tease you about this right until the Sorting, you're dead wrong. Now, let's go downstairs before dad worries if we've all been eaten by your new owl. Have you given her a name yet?" James asked with a wave at the snow owl who was dozing in her cage.

"You haven't named her yet?" Rose said, "but you've had her for a week now."

"I wanted to get it right. I'm going to have her for a long, long time after all."

"Especially as the best name's already been taken by yours truly. And I'm warning you, the universe can't handle the awesomeness of two owls called Sir Delivers-Mail-A-Lot," James interjected

"No, I would never do that James. One, she'd be _Lady_ Delivers-Mail-A-Lot and secondly, everyone would just abbreviate it anyway. Everyone calls your owl Mail and that's just daft," Albus said.

"Hey, it's not my fault you people abbreviate his name. I should tell him to peck you for not properly respecting him. And at least he has a name, unlike a certain snow owl I know!"

" I've reached a decision last night actually," Albus declared proudly, "her name's Hedwig."

"Hedwig? That's great," Rose said.

"A bit unoriginal but very thoughtful of you. I think dad's been getting a bit demented lately so it's good you used a name he already knows," James added, "very cunning. Almost…Slytherin of you! I wonder what the Sorting Hat will think of that."


	3. Chapter I Part 1

Chapter I First Part

Albus continued to look at his parents out of the window as the train slowly left the station. His mother and father seemed happy enough, though Lily was clearly still very upset about not being allowed to go. He wondered if they'd get a repeat scene next year or whether Lily would be mollified by then. Albus knew he had been a bit moody when James had been allowed to go, but he hoped he had never thrown such a tantrum.

"Get your head out of that window Al, you look silly. You remind me of granddad Granger's dog when he takes it with him on holiday," Rose said. Albus grinned slightly, the sight of the dog had been a major source of entertainment during their car rides to the sea side. The comparison wasn't too flattering though, and he withdrew his head and closed the window.

"I'm going to miss them," Albus admitted as he sat down and took a deep breath. Finally, he was on the Hogwarts Express. It didn't feel real yet. It would probably take several days for it all to sink in.

"You and me both Al. However, our great Hogwarts adventure finally begins. Fortune and fame await!" Rose said, waving her hands wildly, "think of all the people we'll meet, magic we'll learn, crazy things we'll see and-"

"Take it easy Rose, you don't want to faint before we get there, do you," Albus said with a grin.

"Oh, as if you're any less excited. We used to fantasise about this day so much. Unless you're still afraid of being in Slytherin?" Rose countered as she gave him a look. Albus shook his head. Was he still afraid? In all likelihood, yes, but he was definitely less afraid than before.

"I'm touched by your continued concern Rose, but it's no longer needed. I'll be fine. Probably," Albus said as he stared through the window at the passing meadows.

Albus had wondered why no one had ever bothered to get rid of the slow Hogwarts Express. Both magic and muggle technologies offered swifter alternatives. However, now he finally realised the charm of the train. It gave you the opportunity to get excited for the new year, and meet new people. And it helped eager first years such as him to get rid of some excess energy.

"It not your well-being that is my primary concern right now. I'm mostly worried about you being so gloomy detracting from the entire experience," Rose countered, "I can hardly enjoy the joy of being sorted into Gryffindor if you're fretting about being sorted into the Slytherin all the time."

"Something wrong with being in Slytherin?" a voice queried. Albus and Rose both looked at the other side of the train, only now noticing the small boy with blond hair who was sitting on the other side of the aisle. In his lap was the Daily Prophet.

"Hi," Albus said tentatively.

"Hey," Rose echoed.

"Oh right, sorry, introductions, right. Hey! I'm Romulus. Romulus Dance," the boy said as he jumped out of his seat and approached them, hand extended. At the same time, the train turned slightly, nearly throwing the boy to the ground.

"Oh wow, great timing. Good thing I'm not superstitious. Are wizards superstitious?" the boy said as he steadied himself and shook hands.

When they introduced themselves, Albus and Rose took care to omit their last names. Having famous parents was really nice, no doubt, but by unspoken agreement they had decided not to flaunt it. James of course had, but then again, he was James. Moreover, he managed to make it sound as if Harry Potter had been the one fortunate enough to be James Potter's father rather than vice versa.

"Mind if I sit next to you? That way we won't have to shout across the aisle," the boy asked.

"Be our guest," Albus said as he studied the boy. A first name like that implied a pureblood heritage, but he had never heard of the Dance family. So either he was a half-blood with a traditionalist mother, or he had muggle parents with a rather unusual taste in names.

"Anyway, to get back to the topic, what's wrong with Slytherin?" the boy continued. While Albus had at first wondered if the question had been a challenge, the boy's guileless smile made clear that wasn't the case. Albus relaxed somewhat.

"I take it you're not from a wizarding family? Not that there's anything wrong with that," he added when he saw both Romulus and Rose frown, "it's just that it's quite a loaded question."

"Oh no, I'm the first in my family with magical talents. At first we all thought my magic was just a really weird coincidence but then this Hogwarts professor showed up and explained everything. How I was a wizard and all. He was really nice."

"Which one was it?" Albus asked.

"Professor Longbottom. He sat us all down and explained everything very calmly. What was going to happen, how I had a place at Hogwarts and all. In the end, not even my aunt was hysterical anymore and she had been the one whose dog I had turned into a hotdog."

"Oh, yeah, Neville's great," Rose declared.

"He's my godfather, we see him a lot at family gatherings," Albus supplied at Romulus' confusion, "don't worry, it's not like we know all Hogwarts professors. The wizarding world's small, but not that small. Anyway, your earlier question… I'm not saying there is something wrong with Slytherin," he started.

"But there very well might be," Rose added vehemently, "at the very least the perception exists. During the last great wizarding war, most dark wizards were former Slytherin students. The house had always had a bad reputation for believing in that ridiculous blood purity dogma and the war only strengthened their dark image."

"Maybe the house has changed. The entire wizarding world has changed a lot, in all likelihood the same has happened to Slytherin house. However, I'm not sure if people don't believe in the blood purity anymore, or simply don't voice that belief anymore," Albus continued.

"And this blood purity means?" Romulus asked, his eyes darting from Rose to Albus and back.

"That Muggleborns shouldn't be allowed to learn magic," a girl said as she entered the coupe. Her voice reminded Albus of his aunt Fleur's. She had short, brown hair and wore a golden headband in her hair.

"What? I'm not saying I agree with that sentiment," she said as the three of them stared at them, "as a matter of fact, I despise it. Both my parents were Muggleborns," she clarified as she sat down, "sorry for barging in here and breaking up your merry congregation but I was feeling quite out of place in the other carriage. I was with my brother there and as usual he was drawing all attention to him."

"Oh I know the feeling," Albus muttered.

"Oh you have a brother like that as well? Great, that at least gives us a starting point for any future conversations, I'm sure we'll have a lot of common traumas we can work out together. Does yours also pinch you? Call you names? Hide a basilisk in your bed?"

"Uh well-"

"Mine always does those things. Well, not the basilisk but I'm sure he will eventually. Good thing the one in the Chamber of Secrets is dead, or he'd have used that one. I swear, he just can't get over the fact that I'm older by seven seconds," she continued as she dropped down next to them. At this point Albus was starting to wonder how her brother had ever managed to draw the attention to him. It didn't seem like she gave other people the opportunity to speak.

"I'm Sophie Gatry, pleased to meet all of you. Now, shall we continue discussing Voldemort and the fact that all Slytherins may or may not be evil, or shall we switch to more pleasant topics, such as whether or not all Gryffindors are brainless, Ravenclaws are nerds, Hufflepuffs are losers but not as big as those believing in stereotypes?" she queried.

Albus shook his head and just accepted her hand. No way he was rising to that bait.

"Albus, pleased to-"

"Oh, Albus Potter I assume?" she blurted out, "The Daily Prophet said you'd be on the train," Sophie exclaimed. Albus resisted the urge to wince, remembering the stories of how his dad had always had people fawning over him. At least this girl left it at that rather than starting interrogating him about the entire Potter dynasty and the wizarding war.

"And then you'll be Rose Granger-Weasley," Sophie said as she turned to Rose, "great fan of your mother. She really shook the old wizarding society up and made life better for people like my parents. If not for all the changes, my parents might have stayed in France instead of returning after the war, and then I'd have gone to Beauxbatons instead," she concluded with a shiver.

"Thanks," Rose mumbled. Judging by her unusual monosyllabic response, Rose was just as overwhelmed as Albus was. The girl seemed like a force of nature. Either that or someone had tested a weird spell on her.

"And you, dashing young man who has no famous family but is no doubt at least as amazing?" Sophie asked Romulus, who promptly started to blush, "who might you be?"

"I'm Romulus Dance."

"Enchantée! I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends. Anyway, as I was saying, let's move away from the Slytherin topic. I'll summarise it briefly for you Romulus, just to be sure you got it, and then let's forget about it. Yes, they used to be really bad, no that's no longer the case. Probably," she added with a wink, "depends on if they beat my house, whatever that will be, during a Quidditch match."

"What's Quidditch?" Romulus queried.

Rose only groaned at that question, knowing far too well what would follow. Albus jumped into an enthusiastic explanation. He was quickly joined by Sophie, who seemed to be almost as much a fan of his mom during her spell at the Harpies, as she was of aunt Hermione.


	4. Chapter I Part 2

Chapter I: Second Part

Somewhere along the way, Rose had finally convinced them to change topic, though only after Albus had given a dramatic retelling of the 2014 Quidditch World Cup Finale. He still hadn't fully gotten over Brazil's defeat. If it had been up to Albus, he would have continued discussing Quidditch all the way to Hogwarts, but after Rose's threatening glare, he had decided to relent.

Instead, they were now discussing their future classes. Albus had loyally declared that Neville would no doubt be his favourite professor. However, while he adored his godfather, even he wouldn't say Herbology was the class he was most looking forward to. Rose on the other hand seemed to be equally excited for all classes, a sentiment shared by Romulus

"Oh please. You're saying you are excited for History of Magic?" Albus mocked, "Romulus can be forgiven, but you know the tales about Binns as well as I do. Not even aunt Hermione was willing to call him a gifted teacher and that's saying something."

"I never said anything about Binns Al! Rumour has it the headmistress got rid of him," Rose said.

"What? He's a ghost, how do you get rid of one of those? How did O'Faolain kick him out of the castle?" Albus exclaimed.

"He got exorcised or something," Rose explained, "I heard mom complain to dad that it took the Ministry a lot of effort. Apparently Binns was quite determined to stay."

"Binns. Determined. Somehow I have a hard time picturing that. Then again, teaching's all he does. He's probably telling the creatures in the Forbidden Forest everything about the Goblin Rebellion. Regardless, good news for us," Albus concluded.

"Splendid news!" Sophie agreed, "though I suppose that means all the self-study on the Goblin Wars me and Ambroise did this summer was for nought."

"You self-studied the Goblin wars? I haven't done anything," Romulus exclaimed, clearly worried.

"Neither have I," Albus reassured the boy, "and it's definitely not the norm. Occasionally you just have people who are just a tad too motivated," he said with a pointed glare at Rose.

"I just scanned through the school books. It's not as if I studied them by heart. I have no desire to emulate mom," Rose protested.

"And I solely prepared in advance because my brother insisted. Besides, I expected to sleep through all the actual history of magic classes. Ambroise is the twin destined for Ravenclaw, not me," Sophie said, "I'm aiming for a fun house. One that doesn't require you to solve riddles to get in the Common room. I hate riddles."

"I just hate a particular Riddle," Albus grinned, receiving a prompt punch from Sophie.

"That joke was abysmal," she declared, "I so hate British humour. There are two things I miss about France, their cuisine and the lack of puns. I warn you, I will hex you sideways if you continue to make such jokes."

"Hex me? I'd like to see you try Frenchie," Albus challenged as he stuck out his chest, "I am the scion of a family of famed duellists. I am-"

"You are sometimes a bit of a blowhard, just like your brother, yes, we know," Rose interrupted, "now, as the train is slowing down I suggest we all get ready? I'm not sure what house you end up if you miss the Sorting."

"Probably Hufflepuff," Albus muttered under his breath.

"An interesting question, but not one I would like to discover the answer to empirically. Perhaps we can waylay someone on their way to the Sorting and find out?" Sophie suggested, "or would that count as unethical experimentation?"

Albus decided to ignore that comment and started digging through his luggage for his robes.

"And that's why I came in uniform," Rose remarked smugly.

"And drew a lot of attention," Albus said.

"As if Hedwig didn't," Rose scoffed, "a white owl hooting indignantly all the time. No, the girl in robes definitely attracted more attention."

"Regardless of who attracted the most attention, if you gentlemen would be so nice to leave the compartment so I can change?" Sophie asked.

"Why should we leave? There's two of us who need to change, it'd be much more practical if you left instead," Albus countered.

"Chivalry is dead," Sophie huffed as she gathered her robes.

"What gave it away? That I failed to arrive at the station in my armour on my trusty steed? Or that I haven't lopped off any peasants' heads recently?" Romulus deadpanned.

"By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish you'd brought your armour!" Sophie shouted as she stormed out. Rose just sighed and went after her. Albus exchanged a grin with Romulus.

"Good one," he commented.

"I aim to please," Romulus replied with a flourish.

A few minutes later all of them were dressed and the train had finally reached its destination. The students disembarked in a hurry, all of them clearly enthusiastic to go back to Hogwarts. In the distance, Albus spied his brother James who, judging by his gestures, was describing how exactly he was going to win the first Quidditch match of the season. It didn't take Albus long to find Hagrid; his familiar voice already echoed loudly across the station

"Firs'-years! Firs'-years over here!" Hagrid shouted, waving a lantern in his one hand. Some streaks of grey ran through his beard, but apart from that he looked exactly like the old pictures and he clearly still had the same energy.

"Wow, he's huge. I hope I end up as tall as he does," Romulus whispered. Albus grinned, even if the boy hadn't been short for his age, he doubted he'd ever match Hagrid's length.

"Oh, so that's the Half-Giant," Sophie remarked, "he looks friendly enough. Somehow I was expecting him to carry a club and perhaps devour a few kids. Though then again, if he did that stuff he would have lost his job a long time ago so I suppose he's a good one."

"What? Half-Giant?" Romulus blurted.

"Don't mind her, Hagrid's great," Al said as they made their way towards him.

"I never said he wasn't great, I'm just saying he is not living up to the stereotype, which is quite disappointing. What's next? A Brit who knows how to cook?" Sophie muttered, "oh hi Ambroise," she added with a wave towards a boy a bit further. Albus assumed it was her twin as the boy had the same chin and brown hair as Sophie.

"So that's your twin?" Rose asked.

"Yeah, let's just hurry along before he approaches us and starts trying to steal you away from me. He tends to do that," Sophie muttered.

"Ah, Al, Rose! Good to see you!" Hagrid bellowed, "I see you've already made some friends. Good to see the Hogwarts Express bonding still takes place. Follow me to the boats first years," he added in a louder voice.

"Good to see you too Hagrid," Al said as he gave him a hug.

He already knew he would take Care of Magical Creatures in his third year, though he did hope he would have learned some cures for burns by then. The four of them followed Hagrid to the boats and quickly found themselves together in a boat, slowly drifting towards the lake.

"I heard there's a giant squid in there," Sophie mused as she stared at the dark water, "anyone brought any squid treats?"

"Squid treats?" Rose asked with an arched eyebrow.

"You know, salmon, codfish, tasty first years," Sophie said as she stuck her hand in the lake and quickly withdrew it again, "Cold. Very cold."

Albus swallowed a biting remark as at that moment their eyes fell upon Hogwarts. The massive castle appeared from the darkness, parts of it illuminated.

"Magical," Romulus breathed.

"You can say that again," Albus agreed as he stared at the magnificent castle. Nothing could have prepared him for this sight. He could hardly imagine he'd spend most of the next seven years there. It looked too grand, too imposing. One could hardly imagine a battle had taken place here 17 years ago. If Albus hadn't been convinced of Voldemort's madness before, he would have been now. Only a complete fool would try to bring such a formidable fortress down.

"It has truly began Al," Rose whispered, "we've finally made it to Hogwarts."

"Now I know why they made us take the scenic route," Sophie chimed in, "I never thought I'd say this, but I'm too much in awe to make a disparaging comment. Good job Hogwarts, keep it up," she concluded with a crooked smile.


	5. Chapter II Part 1

Chapter II First Part

Albus moved closer to the front of the waiting students as the tall, dark-skinned man studied the first years with a broad grin, waiting for everyone to get out of the boat and reach the entrance hall. Albus recognised him as Azad Bakshi, the half Indian, half Brit who had taken McGonagall's place as Transfiguration teacher after the Battle of Hogwarts. Albus knew him mostly from the many letters he had sent to mom and dad about James' latest infractions.

One by one, Bakshi made eye contact with his new charges, occasionally winking or saying something when he recognised a child. When he reached Albus he paused.

"Good to see you here Albus. Do try to cause less trouble than your elder brother, if possible," the professor said, "I do not think I will make it to retirement otherwise."

"Of course professor," Albus responded. He doubted that he could ever match James, even if he tried.

"Good," the professor winked as he turned towards the entire body of students. After a quick headcount, he addressed them.

"Hello everyone. Now that we are all here, allow me to welcome you to Hogwarts. It is a great pleasure and honour to finally meet this year's new students. You will spend the next seven years here receiving an education in the magical arts and I am sure that after these seven years all of you will be very fine witches and wizards. I'm professor Bakshi, transfiguration professor, Hufflepuff head of house and deputy headmaster, which means we'll be seeing a lot of each other. In a few minutes we will step through this door and enter the great hall," the professor began.

Albus tuned the man out; he already knew everything about the four houses, the house cup and the Sorting. He had bigger concerns right now. With the Sorting so close, his anxiety had returned. He glanced at his three companions, but all were listening to Bakshi with rapt attention. Clearly they hadn't received a word-by-word report from Bakshi's speech like Albus had. He still had to smile when he thought of James' first letter from Hogwarts. The thing had been longer than most of aunt Hermione's old essays and had described his first day in painstaking detail.

"Now, I will keep you waiting no longer. Let us enter and begin the Sorting," professor Bakshi concluded as he turned towards the large door and pushed it open. Albus woke from his musings and quickly followed the other students through.

"Stop worrying," Rose hissed in passing. Albus just gave her a wry smile. It was easy for her to say. Regardless of her parents' fame, her Sorting wouldn't make the Daily Prophet's front page. His might, they had done so with James.

Once he stepped into the Great Hall, awe overtook him once more. The dark ceiling above showed the outside sky and showed the beginning of a thunderstorm. Looks like they had made it to the castle right on time. However, even more stunning than the ceiling was the Great Hall's sheer size. Hundreds of students were sitting at long tables, all eyes now on the new first years. At the top of the hall was another long table where the teachers resided. They seemed to be equally focused on the newcomers. Neville even waved at them, he had never really cared much for decorum. In the middle of them sat headmistress O'Faolain, an older woman with long, grey hair. She beamed at them, making her look slightly less intimidating than on the pictures Albus had seen in the Daily Prophet.

Before them was a small stool with on it the Sorting Hat. It twitched slightly and opened its mouth. For a second Albus hoped for a song, like in the old days, but the Hat simply shouted a loud welcome. It hadn't sung ever since Battle of Hogwarts. Albus assumed it was still a bit upset about being set on fire, though 17 years was a long time to hold a grudge, even for a hat.

"I will now call your names one by one. When I do so, please go sit on the stool and put on the Sorting Hat. As its name indicates, it will sort you in your house and it more well-suited to the task than you might think at first glance," professor Bakshi said.

"So there's really no troll? I thought everyone just said that to make me less worried," Albus could hear Sophie whisper, "I can't help but feel mildly disappointed now. I was planning to bore the troll to death with a complete history of the Goblin Wars. _Nothing_ could withstand that"

"Arpine, Julian," Bakshi said. A tall boy walked to the Hat, studied it briefly and then put it on its head. Five seconds later the Hat shouted a loud "Hufflepuff", after which the boy rose, took it off and marched towards the cheering Hufflepuff table.

"Why is my name at the back of the alphabet," Albus complained, "now I know why you're called G _ranger_ -Weasley."

"Tough luck Potter," Rose responded as she stuck out her tongue, "at least this gives me the opportunity to threaten the Sorting Hat for you."

The ceremony went smoothly enough with only two children forgetting to take of the Hat before walking to their table by the time Bakshi had reached the letter D, causing Albus to perk up.

"Dance, Romulus," Bakshi pronounced. The small boy walked to the stool and put on the hat with trembling hands, his head disappearing underneath the hat.

"Slytherin!" The Hat shouted almost immediately. When Romulus took off the hat and his face reappeared, he looked paler than ever. He gave Albus a worried glance and then stumbled towards the Slytherin table. Judging by the applause, his new housemates were at least enthusiastic.

"A Muggleborn in Slytherin… Who would have thought," Albus whispered

"Well, I told you, Slytherin had changed. This confirms it," Rose whispered back.

"We'll see," Albus muttered.

"Aren't you glad I stopped you two from telling Slytherin's entire history? The poor kid's feeling bad enough as it is," Sophie interjected, "I know, I'm amaz-"

"Gatry, Ambroise," Bakshi declared.

"Why does he get to go first? I'm older!" Sophie shouted as Ambroise walked towards the hat. Bakshi gave her a warning glare.

"No, really, check my birth certificate," she continued, "I was born two seconds before midnight, while Ambroise was born five seconds after midnight."

"We go by first name when surnames are the same, miss Gatry, not by age," Bakshi explained tersely.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense," Sophie admitted to laughter of the other first years. Ambroise in the meantime had picked up the Hat and, once he saw everyone was quiet again, put it on, but not before winking at Sophie.

"Attention seeker," Sophie muttered.

"Ravenclaw!" The Hat shouted immediately.

"Called it, he might be cocky enough for Gryffindor, but he's too much of a nerd not to be a Ravenclaw," Sophie said smugly, "well, see you in a few," she added after Bakshi called her name.

After the Hat was donned, it remained silent for a few minutes, though judging by Sophie's lip movements, a vivid discussion was taking place.

"Do you think she'll be a Hatstall?" Rose asked Albus.

"A what?"

"A Hatstall," Rose repeated, "when it takes the Hat longer than five minutes to decide. Like with the previous headmistress, McGonagall"

"I doubt it. The Hat has probably already made up his mind, but can't interrupt Sophie. Trust me, I've tried and discovered that that's really difficult."

"If you say so," Rose grinned, "I personally think the Hat wants to put her in Ravenclaw with her brother and she's resisting vehemently."

"Slytherin!" The Hat finally shouted after about four minutes.

"Do you think we might have made the wrong friends on the train?" Albus asked.

"Nonsense," Rose started but before she could say more her name was called and she walked up to the Hat. Albus watched her tensely, with two of his friends already in Slytherin; he was hoping Rose would at least end up in Gryffindor.

"Gryffindor!" The Hat declared firmly within seconds.

Albus let out a relieved breath as Rose walked towards the Gryffindor table where she promptly received a warm response. The exploits of her parents and the rest of the Easley family were well-known.

"Malfoy, Scorpius," Bakshi said.

"Why don't you start clapping already Slytherin?" someone shouted from the Gryffindor table to general amusement.

Bakshi cast an angry glance at the offending table as Scorpius blanched and put on the Hat. To Albus' surprise, the Hat didn't blurt anything out as soon as the Hat touched his head. It took the Hat a full six minutes before it finally named a house.

"Slytherin," it declared and if Albus was any judge of old hat moods, it was less enthusiastic than usual.

Scorpius carefully took the Hat off, smiled sadly and then walked towards the Slytherin table. Judging by their applause, they weren't that happy to have a Malfoy either. Scorpius calmly sat down next to Romulus, seemingly unfazed by the lacking welcome, and tried to strike up a conversation with him.

Albus frowned, if it had taken the Hat that long to place a _Malfoy_ in Slytherin, then hat did that say about the earlier Sortings of Romulus and Sophie? Was there something he had not seen? Were Romulus and Sophie not as nice as they appeared at first glance? Come to think of it, Romulus' silence could have disguised a lot. Perhaps Romulus had deceived Albus with his shyness and ignorance just to get closer to the son of the Boy Who Lived. James had warned him that some people would just want to get to know him to find out more about his dad. Albus definitely wouldn't put it past a Slytherin.

As far as Sophie was concerned, judging by what Albus had heard so far, her mother had fled Britain during the War and had only returned much later. Had she solely stayed this long because she was still afraid of Voldemort's Death Eaters? Or had she been involved with Voldemort somehow and decided to lay low until the Ministry stopped persecuting the remaining Death Eaters. The girl's talkative nature could very well be a trick to divert attention away from her darker side.

Albus would have to be careful the next few days. His eagerness to go to Hogwarts had made him careless. Perhaps he could ask his godfather what he thought of them. Neville had always been good at reading people. Albus hated this. Sometimes he wished he had a less famous surname so he could be himself without having to worry about being used.

"Potter, Albus Severus!" Bakshi said, shaking Albus from his reverie. He had been so worried about his new 'friends' that he'd forgotten about his earlier fears. However, as he approached the Hat, those worries returned in full force. The Hall had gone completely silent. While James had told him most people expected him to end up in Gryffindor, there were still plenty who remembered the time it had taken dad to get sorted.

Slowly he sat down and put the Hat on his head.

"Oh, another Potter and an interesting one too, just like your father. Your brother James was easier, the biggest Gryffindor I'd seen in years. The same could be said for your grandfather. You on the other hand, you are fascinating. You're courageous, you'd have to be growing up with a brother like that. Clever too, though your loyalty might need some work. And such ambition to prove yourself worthy of the Potter name," the Hat mused in his head.

Albus had known the Hat would speak like that, James had even tried to imitate its voice once, but he was still a bit shaken. You didn't have someone speaking in your head every day.

"Just put me in Gryffindor please," Albus thought back, forcing his lips not to move. Sophie had demonstrated just how ridiculous that looked.

"Gryffindor eh? You remind me of your father, though he phrased it differently. He just didn't want Slytherin."

"Neither do I!" Albus thought back.

"Don't you? I should have expected that I suppose. Still, why not? Are you afraid? Wouldn't a true Gryffindor be unafraid to go to Slytherin? Yes, the idea would repel him, but would he be scared?

Albus swallowed, he was starting to suspect he had just failed some sort of test.

"It wasn't a test Mister Potter, I don't need those to sort someone," the Hat replied primly, "I was just wondering. And why do you want to go to Gryffindor so badly? You're not your father, nor your brother," the Hat continued, "You don't have to follow in their footsteps. You will do great things Mister Potter, that I can see, but no matter what people might think, you're not your father. Nor do you want to be your father."

"I can be different while being a Gryffindor." Albus protested

"Do you truly believe that?" the Hat pressed.

"I don't know," Albus admitted.

"It might be possible, but it would be difficult, especially as your brother is already there. No, I think you'll do better in a different house. A house that just like you is desperate to shake its legacy. Slytherin"

"You can't be serious," Albus thought back, resisting the urge to throw the Hat from his head.

"You are named after a brave Slytherin Albus Severus, why shy away from an opportunity to prove he wasn't the only one?"

"I don't want to be a Slytherin! I don't want to be with Malfoy," Albus insisted.

"Slytherin has changed Mister Potter, and so has the Malfoy family. However, to truly change, both of them might need a catalyst. Someone like you."

"A what? I'd rather be a catalyst for Gryffindor!"

"I am tempted to just give in Mister Potter, but I have already gone against my instincts once tonight. I will not do so a second time, no matter your persistence. Believe me when I say you belong in SLYTHERIN!" the Hat ended, the last word spoken out loud.

For a few seconds Albus sat there on the chair, the Hat still on his head. The Great Hall was deadly silent.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" he could hear James shout, "WHAT THE FUCK HAT!"

Albus almost smiled, his brother giving voice to his own thoughts. It had least had broken the spell. The Slytherin table burst out in feverous applause and whistling, as a tense murmur arose from the other tables. Albus hardly noticed it as he made his way to the green and silver table, _his_ table. _He was a Slytherin. A snake. A filthy, conniving, backstabbing Slytherin_.

He dropped down at the table next to Sophie in a haze. She gave him a smile but for once held her tongue. On the other side of the table was Scorpius Malfoy who was looking intently at Albus, but Albus just ignored his stare. He might be a Slytherin, but that didn't mean he'd have to talk to someone whose whole family had been Death Eaters. However, it seemed Malfoy didn't share his reticence, as the boy opened his mouth. Fortunately, whatever he had wanted to say was cut off by some older years, who shouted their approval in his direction. Some even rose from their chair to greet him.

"We got a Potter!" a tall boy with a Prefect's badge shouted, "We stole a Potter from Gryffindor. I don't believe it," he said as he slapped Albus on the back.

"We didn't steal anything Shane. We got what was rightfully ours. Welcome to Slytherin Albus Severus Potter, I'm sure you will do great here," a short, blonde girl with a prefect's badge said as she walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Don't believe all the rumours you hear. You'll have a great time here, and an even greater future," she reassured him.

Albus just nodded as he tried to keep his composure. He couldn't cry right now. He wouldn't. If these people saw weakness, they'd pounce on him in an instant, eat him alive or at least feed him to their snakes. The rest of the table clearly didn't notice his ambivalence about his new house. They kept cheering, their eyes no longer on the Sorting. Only when the next Slytherin was sorted did they focus back on the Sorting and left Albus alone.

He slowly tried to collect his thoughts, ignoring the glances Sophie, Romulus and even Malfoy were throwing his way. He'd need just as much parchment as James had used for his first letter, if he ever were to explain this to his parents. Then it dawned on him. Dad had said the Hat would take his choice into account. Had dad lied? Or was there something deep inside Albus that had wanted to be in Slytherin? Was he a budding dark wizard? A quick elbow in his side interrupted his ponderings.

"Albus Severus Potter, you can wallow in your misery as much as you want, but do not ignore me! I have been quite lenient and have given you a minute to gather your thoughts, but my patience is at an end," Sophie threatened, "You ended up in the same house as the coolest first year, namely me, so stop acting as if something's wrong. It hurts my feelings."

Albus gave her an affronted look as he pressed his hands against his ribs. At least he knew people here who weren't blood purists.

"That hurt. Romulus, you want to sit next to Sophie next time? It seems to be bad for my health" he added upon seeing the boy grin, eager to ignore Sophie's comments for now. He'd sort that out later.

For what it's worth, Romulus' earlier fears about being in Slytherin seemed to have dissipated now that both Sophie and Albus had joined him. _At least one of us is reassured_.

A/N: Look at that, the Sorting chapter! I've been looking forward to this one and wanted to get it out there before I stumbled across any Cursed Child Spoilers. I suspect Albus ended up in the same house though, it strikes me as the most compelling premise for a story. I'd like to dedicate this chapter to my first reviewer, JLawtruth, whose review inspired me to finish this chapter today.


	6. Chapter II Part 2

Second Part

Once the Sorting had ended, Malfoy seemed eager to try to speak to Albus again. This time it was the Headmistress herself who came to Albus' rescue. Once Headmistress O'Faolain rose, the murmur in the Great Hall died down almost instantly. Malfoy leaned back in his chair again and Albus suppressed a grin.

"To the new faces, welcome to Hogwarts. We are all ecstatic to have you. To the old faces, welcome back, we are very pleased to have you with us for another year," O'Faolain added with a smile, "There are many things I must tell you, but let's save that until after dinner. Enjoy your meal!"

With that, she sat down and food appeared on the tables. _Food_ hardly did it justice though, it was a genuine feast. As Albus lunged for a particularly large piece of beef he forgot his earlier concerns for a while. Even Slytherins were allowed to enjoy the famous opening feast.

"I cannot believe this," Romulus muttered as he speared a potato with his fork and studied it, "Where did this come from? Magic?"

"In a sense. The House Elves prepared it in the kitchen, but they use magic to send the food up here," Albus explained as he took a sip from his pumpkin juice, doing his best to ignore the snake decoration on the cup. He still remembered when aunt Hermione had given him Hogwarts: A History for his birthday, together with her self-written addendum on House Elves. He doubted there was any student, apart from Rose, who knew more about House Elves. He cast a look at the Gryffindor table, trying to locate his cousin. He just hoped she hadn't saved him a seat.

"House Elves?" Romulus asked as he wolfed down the potato, clearly deciding that, while magical, it definitely wasn't poisonous.

"They're magical creatures that get a kick out of serving wizards. A bit goofy, but really helpful and friendly," Sophie elaborated when she saw Albus was too busy chewing on his meat, "just don't ever make them feel they did something wrong. They'll try to punish themselves rather severely. Our House Elf once tried to run herself through with a dead swordfish."

"A dead swordfish? How?" Albus asked.

"Seriously, don't ask, you don't want to know" Sophie muttered, "All I can say is that for once it wasn't Ambroise's fault."

"Okay, fine, keep your secrets. I guess that's expected of us Slytherins," Romulus said cheerily, "Happy to be here as well?" he asked at his neighbour. _Malfoy_. Albus steeled himself for the inevitable blood purity rant that'd follow. By now Malfoy would no doubt have figured out Romulus was a Muggleborn.

"Oh yes, it's a bit of a family tradition to end up in Slytherin as a Malfoy, so I was quite relieved-" Malfoy started before an older student a bit further down the table cut him off.

"Already talking about your family? I could have known. Why don't you mention how rich you are, while you're at it? Or how it's not just being a Slytherin that's a tradition in your family, but also being a Death Eater," the older boy pressed as he gave Malfoy a downright hateful glare. Romulus arched an eyebrow and seemed to shuffle slightly further away from Malfoy.

"Now, that's uncalled for Fredricks! I doubt snapping at your housemates is acceptable in Slytherin," Sophie interjected with what Albus would almost describe as Gryffindor courage. She looked at Albus for support, who just shrugged. He wasn't going to get involved with this for a Malfoy.

"It's nothing, I should have expected this," Malfoy said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"Actually, being terrible to your housemates is a fine Slytherin tradition, or at least it used to be back in his dad's day." Fredricks continued, "It's really nice of you two to stand up for someone you don't know that well, but don't bother with this one. He's not worth it. If you don't believe me, ask Potter. His family knows all about the Malfoys."

Malfoy seemed to deflate even more and started to push the food on his plate around. Albus on the other hand was absolutely stunned. Why was a Slytherin so hostile towards a Malfoy? Perhaps he had misjudged the house.

"Oh can it Fredricks," Sophie snapped, "he hasn't done anything wrong yet."

"He will," Fredricks muttered, "but if you don't believe me, just wait and see. It won't be long before he curses a Muggleborn because their blood is not _pure_. And then you'll have to decide if you want to be friends with a Death Eater, or the rest of your house."

And without further comment, Fredricks continued the conversation with the boy on the other side of him. His scowl was rapidly replaced by an amiable smile. Clearly he considered his work here done.

"Well I believe in actually giving people a chance," Sophie huffed, "so, tell me Scorpius, are you a blood purist?"

"No, no, not at all," Malfoy stammered, clearly he hadn't gotten used to Sophie's lack of tact yet, "But I doubt they'll believe that, so you're better off just avoiding me. Otherwise they might lump you in with me. Thanks for talking to me though. Also Potter, I'm aware of our family's history, but I have no intention to continue the vendetta. If you feel like cursing me though, go ahead. It'll probably help Slytherin's reputation, as well as yours," he concluded before rising and walking away from the table.

"Already got rid of Malfoy? Good job Potter!" a Slytherin jeered though a warning glare from the female Prefect shut him up.

Albus just shook his head in confusion. He wasn't sure what to think of Malfoy. He had grown up hearing plenty of stories about that particular family, but so far, their youngest scion didn't really match his expectations, nor did the Slytherins' reactions. Was this some sort of convoluted plot by the entire house to make Albus drop his guard? It could be; they were Slytherins after all. Then again, that would require Malfoy to be a really good actor. The kid had looked genuinely devastated.

"Well, guess not all rumours about Slytherins were wrong," Sophie muttered darkly, "It just seems they have a new object of prejudice. You better not think about actually cursing the poor kid Al."

"Unless he does turn out to be a pure-blood fanatic of course," Romulus added, "then feel free to go all out."

"I wouldn't even know any curses, though I guess that will change quickly enough now that I'm in Slytherin," Albus replied.

"I think you'd pick up on those quickly regardless of your house. I mean, with this amount of kids squeezed together in one castle, it's only a matter of time before you stumble across someone you dislike strongly enough. And then it just takes a couple of trips to the library and you're ready to go," Sophie said as she turned her attention to the appearing desserts.

"Like your twin?" Romulus pressed.

"What? Ambroise? No, what ever gave you the impression I disliked him Rom?" Sophie asked with wide eyes.

"Well, just about everything you said these last few hours," Romulus replied.

"Oh don't be so flippant. I love my brother. We just like to tease each other. A lot."

"Makes sense, it's the same with me and James. I just hope he doesn't hold my Sorting against me," Albus said as he reached for a slice of apple pie.

"I doubt it. He seemed quite vexed with the Hat but that's about it," Romulus reassured him.

The three of them continued to talk during dinner. In the meantime, Albus studied his housemates. Few of them seemed to be the typical brutes he'd heard so much about. In fact, now he saw them up close they hardly looked that different from the other kids in the hall. Occasionally he also cast looks at the Gryffindor table and while he still couldn't find Rose, he did lock eyes with James once. His brother tilted his head slightly and then winked before turning back to his conversation partner.

Once everyone had finished eating, the Headmistress rose. Quickly the chatter died down as her gaze swept across the Great Hall.

"Hello again. I hope everyone has had a pleasant meal. There are a few notices I should share with you, the newcomers in particular. As always, the Forbidden Forest is off-limits. I'd like to stress it is especially off-limits this year as a few Blast-Ended Skrewts seem to be roaming it," she said. Hagrid could be heard chuckling, albeit rather nervously.

"Our caretaker, Mr Weiss, would like me to encourage all of you to check out the list of forbidden items, as well as its thirty-seven annexes. Should you do so, please inform the rest of the staff if you've found anything important in there. Electronic devices are not prohibited, but as they do little more than explode here at Hogwarts, they are discouraged. Moreover, please refrain from using magic in the corridors and then we'll hopefully have fewer students in the infirmary this year. While we're on the topic of infirmary visit encouraging activities, Quidditch trials will take place in the third week rather than the second as the Pitch is still undergoing repairs after last years' final match."

Albus grinned at that; his brother had told him how after winning the Cup for the first time in eight years, all of Gryffindor house had stormed the pitch. During the celebration, several rings ended up either destroyed or transfigured into a Gryffindor ornament.

"Finally, I would like to present a new member of staff to all of you. Together with the board of governors, I decided that professor Binns should no longer be teaching History of Magic. His class will therefore from now on be taught by Professor Tanner," O'Faolain said with a nod towards a younger witch on the right side of the table.

Professor Tanner gave an enthusiastic wave at the students as they clapped, though Albus wasn't sure whether the applause was for her, or for Binns' departure.

"With that, I've reached the end of my announcements. Allow me to wish you a good night's sleep and I'll see you tomorrow," O'Faolain concluded.

The students immediately started to rise from their chairs and head towards the exit. Albus wondered where they'd got the energy from. After the feast, he felt so full he could hardly waggle, let alone rush, out of the hall.

"First years to me please!" the male Slytherin Prefect Shane shouted, "You don't want to get lost and end up in another house's dormitories. Trust me, ours is better. We're underneath the lake."

"I can't wait for a leak that will see us all drowned in our sleep," Sophie said as Albus and his friends carefully made their way towards Shane.

As they made their way down to the dungeons, Albus somehow ended up next to Malfoy, who had at least had the decency to reappear from wherever he had run off to. Albus managed to avoid a conversation by staring at the living paintings and ghosts they encountered on their way. In the background, Sophie was keeping up a running commentary for Romulus' benefit. It seemed she knew the history behind most, if not all, of the ghosts and paintings. Albus was starting to suspect she had read Hogwarts: A History as well.

After going down several stairs and taking so many turns Albus felt completely lost. The Prefect on the other hand seemed quite confident and continued to walk until they finally stopped before a stone wall.

"Okay everyone, prepare to see one of the coolest things ever," Shane declared, "Redemption!" he stated and immediately a stone door concealed in the wall slid open.

"This is so much better than a portrait swinging open. Welcome to your new home, the Slytherin Dungeons!" Shane said as made a flourish and gestured for them to enter.

Albus stumbled through the rectangular hole that had been revealed. He found himself in a long, low underground room. Greenish lamps were hanging on chains from the ceiling and a fire crackled in a large hearth under an elaborately carved mantelpiece. It depicted the Slytherin coat of arms, though the motto had been blasted off. Several tables were spread across the room, each of them accompanied by a few chairs. A large couch stood in front of the hearth. One wall was covered in names which upon closer inspection seemed to be those of the fallen ones during the war, at first sight Albus didn't spy any Death Eater names.

A lot of students were still present in the common room, including the blonde Prefect who had spoken to Albus before. Most of them were talking among themselves, but some stared at the newcomers, and specifically Albus, expectantly. Albus felt his skin crawl and resisted the urge to draw his wand. He wondered how many former Death Eaters kids still attended Hogwarts.

"Okay everyone, meet the new first years," Shane said as he climbed through the entrance and walked to the middle of the room, "they're going to be here for a long time, so do try to make them feel at home. If I find out you're treating them bad, there will be trouble. More specifically, I'll tell Claire," he said with a wave towards the blonde Prefect who had approached Shane in the meantime.

"Thank you for that Shane," she interrupted as a lot of the older kids laughed, "Welcome from my end as well. We'll show you to your dormitories in a second, but let's wait for professor Perrine first. As our head of house, he likes to give a welcoming address each year," she explained.

Albus resisted the urge to roll his eyes. No doubt the speech would be a lot of nonsense about how great Slytherin was and how they were the only true wizards here. Then again, James had always been very fond of Professor Perrine.

 **A/N** : And here we are again. This time I'd like to thank livvylane for her kind review which spurred me to get this chapter out there.


	7. Chapter II Part 3

**Third Part**

They didn't have to wait long. A minute later the stone wall behind slid open and a relatively young man clambered through it. Albus assumed this was the infamous Professor Perrine. Shane immediately approached the Professor to assist him, but was waved off.

"I'm fine Shane, but thank you," Professor Perrine said as he limped towards the middle of the room. He used a cane to support his right leg, punctuating every step with a soft thud. He had short, brown hair and a crooked nose that had clearly been broken at least once.

"Do you think that's a swordcane?" Sophie whispered. Albus merely arched an eyebrow in response. That sounded preposterous, even by his standards

"Well he is a Slytherin, you never know," Sophie continued.

"He's a wizard, why would he need a swordcane? For that matter, why would anyone need that?" Albus responded. Sophie just shrugged.

"To stab people with?" she offered. Albus just rolled his eyes and continued to watch Perrin's slow progression. Once their head of house had made it to the middle of the room, he paused, cast a look at the eight first years before him and then turned to the two prefects who nodded.

"These are all the new ones Professor," Claire said as she waved at the first years. Albus couldn't help but feel like cattle that was being inspected.

"Brilliant. Hello first years, thank you for indulging me. I so like to speech," Perrine said with a wry smile, "Older years, feel free to listen if you want, but it's the same speech as every year, so I won't hold it against you if you leave or just ignore me. Do try not to make too much noise though," Perrine continued as he craned his head to the rest of the room, before turning to the first years once more.

"Now, welcome to Hogwarts and above all, welcome to Slytherin. I am Professor Perrine, your head of house and Defence Against the Dark arts teacher. I am here to introduce you to your new house and tell you what is expected of you as a Slytherin," he began, pacing across the room and punctuating his words with his cane.

"Some of you might be afraid, fearing judgment from your elders or peers for being sorted in a dark house. Or perhaps you fear this house is filled with dark wizards eager to kill you in your sleep," Perrine continued, his voice barely louder than a whisper. He paused and let his gaze sweep across his audience. For a second his eyes seemed to rest on Albus, but he quickly resumed his pacing.

"Others of you might be ecstatic, already dreaming of the dark magic you'll learn here and the power you'll grasp as a Slytherin. Such a tempting prospect, no?" he mused.

"All these preconceptions, while understandable, are flagrantly wrong. This house has an unsavoury reputation, one that was once well-deserved, but not anymore. These past few years your housemates have done an excellent job of changing Slytherin. We have not just won the house cup several times, but have also improved our reputation," he said as he waved at the blasted-off motto underneath the Slytherin coat of arms.

"Nowadays, none can doubt that Muggleborns, half-bloods and pure-bloods are equally welcome here. Our beloved Prefect Claire for instance is a Muggleborn, so I warn you that if you still hold to that ideal, you better do something about it or keep it quiet," Perrin warned. Claire twisted her wand in her hand while smiling viciously.

"However, the other ideals Salazar Slytherin espoused are still valued. Cunning is a virtue. Excel with your wits and show Ravenclaws that book knowledge is only a poor substitute for real wiles. Let your ambition inspire you to for the sky, but do so in an appropriate manner. If it drives you to acts that not even the most courageous Gryffindor would dare perform, wonderful. However, dabbling in the dark arts or anything along those lines is unacceptable!" Perrine said, raising his voice above conversational level for the first time.

"In short, be a Slytherin of the 21st century. This is your chance to prove that your background and heritage do not matter. Prove you are your own man or woman. Believe me, there is no better house to help you with that, than Slytherin," Perrine concluded. Once more his gaze seemed to rest on Albus, but also on Malfoy

The entire common room was dead silent; you could hear a pin drop. Most looked serious, some outright grim, but Albus couldn't wipe the smile from his face. If what professor Perrine said was true, the Sorting Hat might have found the right house for him after all.

"With that said, I am certain all of you will do great here and make plenty of friends. I will see all of you tomorrow at breakfast and of course in class. If you have any concerns or questions, you can come find me, or one of the Prefects," Perrine said before leaving the dungeons, dragging his right leg along and leaning heavily on his cane.

"I agree with the sentiment, but honestly, his inspirational speeches suck," Sophie said once the door had closed behind Perrine. The ensuing laughter broke the tension and all first-years seemed to visibly relax.

"Okay, that's enough. Silence please!" Shane shouted, "I agree that professor Perrine can be a bit gloomy, but the point still stands. All of us here at Slytherin have worked hard these past few years to get where we are now. We certainly hope you newcomers won't ruin it for us."

"However, that does not mean you can't make mistakes. We all do and there's nothing wrong with that," Claire chimed in, "But to echo Professor Perrine, any pure-blood nonsense or dark magic will not be tolerated. Be cunning, be ambitious, by all means, but above all be worthy. Or as worthy as children can be at least," Claire said with a lopsided grin, "As the professor said, if you have any concerns you can seek him out. However, given his busy schedule, do try to come find me first. Or if you're really desperate for help, and there's no one else around, you can try Shane," she added with a gesture towards the male Prefect who grinned back at her, "now the dorms are over there. Find yourself a bed and if you have a cat, please keep it away from me as I'm allergic. Any jokes in that regard will have grave consequences, just ask James Potter," she concluded as she tapped her wand.

Albus nodded solemnly before heading towards the direction Claire had indicated. He was quite eager to see their dormitory but above all, he needed time to digest all those speeches.

"Do you now feel slightly less terrible about being in Slytherins Albus?" Sophie asked as she caught up to him.

"If he truly meant what he said, yes. I'm not averse to helping Slytherin improve its reputation. After all, we're all stuck with it."

"True enough. In that case, I count you to use the famous Potter charm to make us the most beloved of houses. It would not do for me to lose my status of most beloved of the Gatry twins solely because of my Sorting. Well see you tomorrow. Sleep tight and don't let the bed snakes bite" Sophie laughed before walking through the door of the girls' dormitory.

Albus headed through the opposite door and found himself in the boy's dormitory. It was a relatively spacious room with four four-posters with green silk hangings, two on each side. Lanterns similar to the one in the Common Room hung from the ceiling and several windows provided them with a nice view of the lake.

"Great, I can't wait to wake up one morning and discover that a Mereperson is staring at me," Albus muttered as he suppressed a shiver. From what he'd heard about the Triwizard Tournament, they were neither the friendliest nor the aesthetically most pleasing of magical creatures.

He walked towards the bed on the left side of the room that was the furthest away from the windows and dropped down on it. Romulus sat down on the bed next to him. Malfoy walked into the room as well but paused when the fourth boy cleared his throat.

"Hi, sorry to be annoying straight from the start, but I'm not sleeping on the same side of the room as Scorpius Malfoy," he said, "that can only result in trouble."

"I can assure you, I am not looking for any trouble," Malfoy stammered in response as he turned to the speaker.

"Well, you'll find it regardless. I remember what your family did during the war," the boy snapped back. He was taller than the rest of them, had auburn hair and wore glasses.

"Okay, let's all calm down here," Romulus said, approaching the two with his hands raised, "we're going to be dorm mates for the next seven years so we should really try to get along."

"I'll ignore him, that's the best you can hope for, but only if I don't have to sleep this close to him," the boy replied.

"Does that matter though, really? We're all in the same room anyway," Romulus replied.

"It matters to me," the boy spat back.

Albus repressed the urge to groan. He was way too tired for this, but judging by the boy's expression he wasn't going to give in anytime soon. James could occasionally act like that as well and then he wouldn't budge until he got what he wanted. Albus really didn't feel like standing up for a Malfoy, but he also really wanted to sleep. Besides, Perrine's words still rang strong in his ears. Perhaps it was time to forget about their parents' legacies and if Malfoy turned out to still be a git, James would be more than willing to hex him for Albus.

"Fine, fine. I don't mind sleeping on the same side as Malfoy. That is, if Rom here doesn't mind switching and sleeping on the same side as, what was your name anyway?" Albus asked.

"Oh sorry, I'm Joshua. Joshua Burke," the boy said, immediately affable again now he seemed to be getting what he wanted.

"No problem," Romulus said as he moved his stuff to the other side of the room and dropped it down on the bed next to Joshua's.

"Thanks guys," Joshua said as he started to unpack. In the meantime, Malfoy walked to Rom's former bed and looked mildly surprised at Albus.

"Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble," Malfoy whispered.

"It's fine," Albus replied, slightly uneasy by Malfoy's gratitude, "as long as you don't snore."

"Oh no! I wouldn't dare. I'll be quiet like a mouse at night. Otherwise people might think I'm up to something and decide to hex me for good measure," Malfoy added.

With the drama over, Albus quickly donned his pyjamas. He was quite relieved he had chosen a black and white pair, rather than James who had immediately gone for a gold and red pair, even before his Sorting. As Albus got in bed, he cast a final look at Malfoy who, of course, wore green and silver pyjamas. While he couldn't say he was happy that Malfoy was being bullied, the boy's reaction to it was at least promising. Rather than snap back like a proper junior Death Eater, he just rolled with the punches.

"Hey, Malfoy," Albus whispered.

"Yeah Potter?" Malfoy replied, stifling a yawn.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry for the treatment you've gotten so far. What do you say, shall the two of us at least try to look beyond each other's last name?" Albus asked. For some time Malfoy was silent, opening his mouth and then closing it again. Malfoy dropped down in his bed and replied.

"Yes, I'd like that. I'd like that very much… Guess that means we'll need to start using each other's first names though."

"Yeah, guess so," Albus grinned, "good night Scorpius."

"Good night Albus," Scorpius replied.

Albus closed his eyes, feeling slightly relieved. For a bit, it had seemed his stay at Hogwarts would be a disaster. But now, it seemed Slytherin wasn't that bad, or at least not anymore. Moreover, with a little bit of luck he wouldn't spend the next seven years fighting with one of his housemates. Then again, now he'd need even more parchment to not just explain to his parents not just that he was in Slytherin, but also that he had struck up a tentative friendship with Scorpius Malfoy of all people.

 **A/N:** Maybe I should have just named chapter 2 "Speeches" with all the monologues I have in there. This Chapter's for Kamikaze Black whose reviews were a most pleasant surprise this morning.


	8. Chapter III

Chapter III

When Albus awoke the next morning, a large trout was staring at him. He scowled at the offending fish but it just kept staring. Albus hoped the Giant Squid would eat it. It was still dark in the room and he could hear the steady breathing of the other three boys. _His fellow Slytherins_. That would take some getting used to. He slipped out of bed and got dressed before sneaking out of the room. He wasn't sure what time it was exactly, but as he was usually an early riser he doubted it'd be a good time to wake the rest. Better to just wait it out somewhere else.

The Common Room was almost empty. Three elder students, including Prefect Shane, were leaving just as Albus arrived, each carrying a broom. It seemed the partially destroyed Quidditch Pitch didn't stop the most enthusiastic players from practicing. Albus dropped down in a chair and got out feather and parchment. He might as well get started on his letter for home. He still wasn't sure how to broach the subject, so he started by describing the train ride, before finally giving a quick overview of the Sorting. He ended the letter on a plea not to disinherit him and then rolled up the parchment.

He would have brought it to the Owlery as well, but he didn't trust his navigational skills yet. Even if he managed to stumble across the Owlery by sheer luck, he'd never find his way back to the Dungeons. Maybe he could give it to James if saw him for breakfast. He'd need to talk to his brother and Rose anyway. Just to make sure they weren't too disappointed with his Sorting.

"Hey Albus," Sophie said as she walked into the common room, a spring in her tread. She dropped down in a chair opposite of him and grinned, "Guess I'm not the only one who is too excited to sleep in. Who were you writing?"

"My parents, to tell them I'm in Slytherin and that I survived the first day. Not that they won't find out about it in the Prophet anyway," Albus muttered, "they almost dedicated a whole page to James when he went to Hogwarts."

"It helps them spruce up their annual 'Hogwarts school year begins again' stories I suppose. In the past, they could at least report on a new Defence teacher each year but with that curse broken, the start of the year's gotten awfully boring. Ah well, want to go find the Owlery and post it? It's still a long time till breakfast," Sophie said after a quick inspection of her watch.

"You know the way? I'd have gone already, but I'd just get lost."

"Knowing the way might be an overly generous description, but I have a vague notion. And otherwise we can get lost together. It will be an adventure!" Sophie declared.

"Are you sure you're not a Gryffindor?" Albus muttered as they rose from their chairs and headed for the exit.

"Well, the Hat considered that, along with pretty much every other house. We can't all be natural Slytherins such as yourself Albus."

"Shut it Sophie," Albus replied as they left the Common Room, "it also took the Hat quite some time to place me."

"True enough, not as long as the Malfoy kid though. Have you tried to kill each other yet?"

"We've decided to give each other a fair chance first. We can always resume hostilities at a later stage," Albus grinned.

"Really? Glad to hear it. He looked awfully lonely yesterday at the Feast. Well, let's go right," Sophie said after inspecting both ends of the corridor.

"You sure? Last night we came from the left side."

"Ah. Let's go left," Sophie said before marching off. Albus sighed. This was starting to look like a bad idea.

It had been a bad idea. Albus let out an exhausted sigh and dropped down on the floor. They'd made it all the way up the tower; everyone knew the Owlery was at the top of the tower. Sadly, it seemed they were at the wrong tower.

"Come over here and fight me, you scoundrels!" the knight in the painting bellowed.

"Quiet you tin can!" Sophie snapped before turning to Albus, "Think we can use him to deliver your letter?"

"I don't think he's the most trustworthy messenger," Albus replied, still panting.

"Hmm, in that case we can safely say that this climb was a failure. Sorry Albus," Sophie said as she leaned out of a window and looked outside, "at least it's a nice view."

"We'd have also had a nice view from the Owlery, I'm sure," Albus sulked.

"True, but it wouldn't have been the same view! Anyway, I think I spotted the correct tower over there. A lot of owls seem to be flying to and from it. So just follow me and I'll get us there in no time," Sophie declared as she stormed off. Albus shrugged and walked after her. He was starting to suspect not just the ambitious and cunning, but also the totally insane ended up in Slytherin.

Once Sophie disappeared around the corner she let out a startled cry. Albus immediately ran after her and thus managed to knock the man over who was just getting up. He wore brown robes and had a neatly trimmed beard.

"Merlin's pants! Stupid students," the man swore as he pushed Albus off him and got up, "what do you think you're doing running around corners? Did you do something wrong?" he pressed, his cold eyes drilling into Albus and Sophie.

"What? No, we're just on our way to post a letter," Albus protested as he crawled up and brushed the dust off his robes.

"The Owlery? What sort of a stupid excuse is that? It's on the other end of the castle."

"Well we know that _now_ ," Albus said with a dirty look at Sophie, "but we sort of got lost."

"And you just happened to end up over here eh? I somehow doubt it. You'll have to be smarter than that if you want to deceive me, Auguste Weiss, caretaker of this castle filled with careless and ungrateful brats," the man huffed, "tell me you two, what sort of plans have you two been cooking up? Does it have something to do with the exploding suits of armour one floor below?"

"Exploding suits of armour?" Albus asked.

"Awesome," Sophie whispered.

"You know what I'm talking about, don't act dumb! But I'll get the truth out of you! I will-" Weiss' threats were cut off by a deafening explosion a bit further, "wait here! I need to check up on that," and with that the man hurried off.

"What a strange man," Sophie remarked, "well, let's get out of here. I don't want him to continue ranting at us."

"You and me both," Albus agreed as they quickly hurried away. However, it didn't take long for them to run into someone, though this time it wasn't their fault. An older boy sprinted around the corner and barrelled straight into Sophie, sending both of them sprawling.

"Oh come on," Sophie grunted.

"James?" Albus asked as the boy crawled up and ran his hand through his unruly hair.

"Oh hi there Al. I'd love to talk, but I kind of have to run. You might want to come along. Weiss is kind of pissed and I'd hate for your first day to be marred by that old codger," James said as he darted off. Albus and Sophie looked at each other in confusion and then hurried after James.

"So, those exploding suits of armour, was that you?" Albus asked in between breaths.

"Well…Not just me. I've had some help," James replied, "Though it was my idea. How do you know about them?"

"We ran into Weiss before. He'd probably still be lecturing us if not for that big explosion a few minutes ago."

"Oh, in that case I'm glad we decided to combine several fireworks for that last suit of armour, otherwise we might not have attracted Weiss' attention. Sorry to get you involved. Hold up," James said as he pulled them into an empty room and got out a piece of parchment. After a brief inspection he relaxed.

"You have dad's map?" Albus asked in an incredulous voice.

"We're safe, Weiss decided to go after the rest. Phew."

"James. Is that dad's map?" Albus repeated.

"Could be. Tell me, what are you doing here anyway?" James said as he pocketed the map again.

"Sending a letter."

"Really? But the Owlery's not here," James said.

"We know now," Albus groaned. Sophie was just staring at the two brothers, clearly enjoying the show.

"Ah, I get it. I got lost a lot too in the beginning. Still, except for the whole running away from Weiss part, it's pretty good you ended up here. Now we have some time to talk. Come, I'll walk you to the Owlery and in the meantime we can catch up," James said as he placed his arms around Albus' and Sophie's shoulders and led them away, "so, you're a Slytherin now."

"Yeah, what about it?" Albus replied nervously.

"Oh don't be like that. I don't mind that you're in Slytherin, I'm just a bit surprised," James reassured him, "Rose and I were sure you'd end up in Gryffindor. It's very nice of you to spread the Potter awesomeness across different houses, but are you sure about this? Are you going to be fine among those snakes?"

"It's not like the Hat left me much choice…but yeah, I think I'll be fine," Albus replied.

"Okay. I don't know why that daft old Sorting Hat put you there, but I guess it knows best. It's going to be weird, but I'll get used to having a brother in Slytherin. Still, if anyone gives you trouble, let me know okay? I'll sort them out with some righteous Gryffindor wrath," James promised.

"Thanks James," Albus replied, slightly shocked by his brother's calm acceptance. And to think he'd been afraid of James' reaction.

"I can't by any chance convince you to cost Slytherin a lot of points? I'd really like to win the House Cup just once," James asked.

"No!" Albus shouted as they started to ascend a new tower

"Can't blame a man for trying. And you, you're also in Slytherin right? Your name was Sonja or something? How you doing in your new house?" James asked, turning to Sophie for the first time.

"Sophie. It's nice. I'm a bit disappointed there's no real snake in the dorms, but apart from that I can't complain. It's nice to stare at the lake from your bed. Quite mesmerising, a bit like a lava lamp only with more fish," she replied.

"That's good to hear. There's some cool people in your house so I'm sure both of you will be fine. Just don't get on Claire's wrong side. She can be a bit…vindictive."

"Yeah, she mentioned you. Something about a cat?" Albus asked.

"Yes. Let's not talk about that," James said with a pained expression, "I think that'll haunt me till the end of my life. Anyway, here we are, the Owlery. Giving mom and dad your very first Hogwarts update?"

"Yeah. Just to let them know I haven't turned evil overnight, you know," Albus said as he walked up to Hedwig and gave her the letter.

"Why were you blowing up suits of armour anyway?" Sophie asked.

"I've got a reputation to maintain. I always do something the first day. In my first year I made half the Potions classroom explode."

"What? You never told mom and dad that!"

"It was an accident! Don't tell anyone that though, or my image will be ruined. And then last year I blocked the exit of the Ravenclaw common room with one of uncle George's portable swamps. That was not an accident."

"And this year-"

"I stuffed suits of armour with uncle George's fireworks. So, be careful around those today. A lot of them still need to go off and I don't think mom and dad will be very happy with me if I get you blown up," James warned, "same for you Sophie. Don't tell the rest though. You wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. Anyway, I got to run. I still got a couple of fireworks to put to good use. See you around Al," James concluded as he slapped his younger brother on the back.

"Thanks for getting us here James. And send my regards to Rose."

"Will do. She'll be pleased to know you're not feeling bad about being in Slytherin. last time I saw her, she was planning to kidnap the Sorting Hat," his brother said as he ran off, an expression of sheer glee and mischief on his face.

"So, that's your brother. He seems nice," Sophie remarked.

"Yeah, he teases me a lot and has a massive ego, but his heart's in the right place."

"I'm not surprised Gryffindor hasn't won the Cup ever since he got here though," Sophie added with a wry smile.

"Me neither."

 **A/N:** This one's for Long Lost Dream 37 whose review spurred me to reread this chapter tonight rather than tomorrow. For those curious, next update will feature Scorpius again, but he's too sensible to fit in this chapter.


	9. Chapter IV

**Chapter IV**

The return journey was a lot shorter. Either Sophie had gotten lucky this time, or she was starting to figure out the castle. Regardless, Albus was content to keep following. Maybe he should steal James' map; that might help him understand the weird logic of the castle. Then again, that assumed there was any to begin with. Given the mental instability of at least one of the founders, Salazar Slytherin, Albus wouldn't be surprised if there wasn't any.

Once they entered the Common Room, a few older students were up and around. Two of them were playing chess while the rest were offering advice. One of them looked up at their arrival.

"Oh hey Potter," he greeted, "you might want to go back to your dorm. It seems there's an argument going on in there and maybe you can do something about it before a Prefect needs to get involved.

"Thanks for the warning. I'm gone for one hour and hell breaks loose," Albus added in a low tone as he hurried to his dorm. He hadn't expected trouble to arise this fast, but perhaps he had been too optimistic. He was in Slytherin after all. With a sigh he walked to the door, hearing Burke rant at someone, presumably Scorpius.

"What did you do to Potter? Did you take him to the Chamber of Secrets to feed him to your Basilisk?" Burke shouted.

"Good morning, can you please stop killing each other and explain what's going on here?" Albus said as he walked into the room. His dad always used that phrase on him and James and usually it worked. He took in the scene and resisted the urge to draw his wand. That'd only make things worse. Burke towered over Scorpius and had him by the hem of his robes. Romulus stood a bit further and had his wand out. Both looked flustered.

"Albus?" Romulus stammered, quickly lowering his wand.

"Potter?" Burke barked as he released Scorpius, "we thought Malfoy had kidnapped you and taken you to the Chamber of Secrets."

"Yes, I heard that. I'm not in bed when you wake up, and your first reflex is to think Scorpius kidnapped me?" Albus asked, hardly believing what he had heard. Could they truly be that paranoid?

"He was sleeping on your side of the room, it seemed plausible," Romulus supplied.

"No, it doesn't," Albus snapped, "You okay Scorpius?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Scorpius replied as he straightened his robes, his pale skin slightly redder than usual.

"Good, then there's not much harm done. However, I think you two idiots owe Scorpius an apology."

"Why should we? We were just looking out for you Albus!" Romulus exclaimed, "We have to watch over each other with someone like him in our dorm."

"Don't worry about it Albus," Scorpius muttered.

"See! Even Malfoy says we acted correctly," Burke said.

"Don't twist his words Burke," Albus replied, "Just don't. While I appreciate you being so concerned for my health and safety, that is no reason to start manhandling someone. Now, that apology?"

"I don't get why you're on Malfoy's side all of a sudden Potter, but if you think I'm apologising to him, you're wrong. It's only a matter of time before he shows his true colours," Burke said as he stormed out.

"We were just worried Albus," Romulus whispered, "we might have overreacted, but it was simply because we care for you."

"Really? Or were you just looking for an excuse to harass Scorpius?" Albus pressed as he stared at Romulus. The boy blanched.

"Do you think so little of me? Is it because I'm a Muggleborn?" Romulus shouted back.

"Oh for the love of… Of course not," Albus muttered as he massaged his temples.

"Really? Because I can't help but notice you're siding with a Pure-blood," Romulus snapped as he hurried out of the room.

"He caught up quickly on Wizarding politics. At Hogwarts for one day and already he has uncovered our role in the massive Pure-blood conspiracy," Scorpius sneered, "anyway, thanks for dropping in and sorry for causing trouble."

"It's not your fault," Albus dismissed, "they're just being idiots. They'll come around. They just need some time to realise that not just Slytherin, but also the Malfoys have changed."

"Yeah, that might take a while… shall we go for breakfast?" Scorpius suggested, "All this talk about feeding basilisks has made me hungry."

"Sure. Let's see if we can find Sophie as well. I think she's still in the Common Room. She wisely decided to stay out of this one."

The trip to the Great Hall proved much less troublesome than Albus' excursion to the Owlery. As they could simply follow some of the older years, they didn't get lost, despite Sophie's occasional suggestions to take a shortcut. Soon the three of them found themselves in front of a delicious breakfast. While Romulus and Burke had taken a seat a bit further away from them and were avoiding eye contact, Albus didn't let that get in the way of his enjoyment. If his Sorting hadn't ruined his dinner, a minor spat definitely wouldn't get in the way of his breakfast. The three of them were happily putting away food, while praising Hogwarts' kitchen.

"Watch your food, owls coming in," Scorpius warned as hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall and descended upon the tables.

Albus stared in wonder as the owls dropped down and couldn't bring it upon himself to be angry when one flew away with his sausage. After that show, the owls deserved a treat. A large barn owl dropped a package in front of Scorpius before flying off again.

"Oh no they didn't," he muttered.

"What? You don't like getting post?" Albus asked.

"Judging by Prometheus' appearance, it's from mom and dad. I asked them to hold back on the packages and then they send me this, whatever it is," he scoffed as he stared at the package, "now everyone's going to think I'm a spoiled Pure-blood."

"Everyone already thinks that Scorpius, the package won't change much," Sophie said as she grabbed her Daily Prophet and started leafing through it.

"Thanks Sophie," Scorpius deadpanned as he started to open the package, revealing several rolls of parchment and an assortment of sweets, "Looks like mom went overboard with both sweets and advice. 'Don't'get into fights'. Looks like I already went against that piece of advice. Anyone want some sweets?" he offered before biting in a Chocolate Frog.

"Merlin, I can't believe this nonsense," Sophie grunted as she tossed the Prophet away and banged her head on the table.

"What?" Albus asked as Scorpius looked at the paper and let out a similar groan.

"I'll read it out loud," Sophie said as she snagged per Prophet back, "Last night, several prominent witches and wizards presented what they called the 'Wizarding Culture Manifesto'. This expansive document was aimed at the Ministry and set out a list of grievances and suggestions to protect important traditions."

"Aunt Hermione's going to hate this. She's spent the last years getting rid of those traditions," Albus commented.

"Wait, there's more. 'One of the authors, Quinn Fowler was quoted saying the following, 'while I welcome diversity in our society, it can also pose a threat. The death of many after the second Wizarding War left a vacuum that has mostly been filled by Muggleborns and Half-bloods. This has led to the abandonment of many fine traditions. We solely wish to protect these by ensuring newcomers are aware of our vast and rich history.' What fine traditions?" Sophie asked, "Nepotism?"

"Bribery?" Scorpius offered, "that used to be really big at the Ministry. Maybe there's a budget deficit and they want to fix it that way? Bringing bribery back would make my grandfather happy, that's for sure."

"Arranged marriages perhaps? It could be that one of the authors has an unruly child who wants to run off with the love of his or her life? I don't know. Who supports that nonsense and why is it on the front page of the Prophet anyway?" Albus scoffed.

"Well the answer to the former also explains the latter," Sophie said as she scanned through the article, "you've got some lunatics in there of course, like Tiberius Black, but also quite some prominent witches and wizards. Some heroes from the previous wizarding war, like Swann. Even two of our teachers. Professors Fiére and Hawke of Astronomy and Muggle Studies respectively."

"Tiberius _Black_? I thought that family was extinct in the male line," Albus remarked, "the last one was my dad's godfather and he didn't have any kids."

"He's some loony who claims he's the bastard son of Orion Black and a Muggleborn witch," Scorpius explained, "Most people think he's crazy, but as he's harmless they just let him be. He even changed the family motto to 'presque toujours pur' to match his heritage. I saw him in Diagon Alley once, ranting that the newest Nimbus had a spell on it that encouraged you to buy more Nimbus products."

"Okay, I get why he signed it in that case. But why would actually respectable people sign this drivel?" Albus wondered.

"Beats me," Scorpius shrugged, "to start a discussion?"

"They definitely seem to have succeeded," Sophie said as she pointed at the staff table.

Albus looked up and saw both Fiére and Hawke were involved in a discussion with Perrine. The latter had turned red and was banging his fist on the table but the two women seemed hardly impressed. Albus looked across the Great Hall and saw several groups of people waving the article around. Even James had gotten hold of a Prophet and was now casually setting fire to the paper.

"So, what do you think of the Manifesto, Malfoy?" Burke asked in a loud voice. Immediately conversations around them fell silent.

"It's nonsense," Scorpius declared.

"Why? Doesn't it go far enough for you? Does the Manifesto lack a clause on the Muggleborn Registration Commission?" Burke pressed.

"No, I think the Manifesto lacks a clause on common sense. As far as I'm concerned, it's a desperate attempt by desperate people to hold on to the past," Malfoy replied coolly, "I think the recent innovations have been great. There's a reason why my family's name is not on it."

"Probably because they didn't ask you in the first place. Death Eater support's not that useful as it once was," Burke muttered, but he left it at that and turned back to his Daily Prophet.

"What's his problem anyway?" Albus mused as he continued eating.

"Beats me," Scorpius replied as he tried to read the rest of the article over Sophie's shoulder.

"Well they make some good points," Sophie said.

"Et tu Brute?" Scorpius jested.

"Oh stop that," Sophie muttered, "I'm not saying I support this Manifesto, but there are some valid concerns and suggestions in there. Such as why we're not doing more of an effort to introduce Muggleborns to the Wizarding World. We have Muggle studies, why not have something similar for Muggleborn first years? Or their criticism of Muggleborn quotas, I could get behind that. They might help counteract the old Pure-blood and Half-blood biases in recruitment, but the best person should get the job."

"It's more complicated than that," Albus disagreed. He remembered his aunt Hermione explaining those quotas one Christmas and it had made sense. Sadly he couldn't remember what exactly she had said, making it rather hard to actually convince Sophie.

"If you say so. How about you Scorpius? How do you feel about quotas?" Sophie asked.

"I've learned that for someone with my past, it's safest to never agree with something that might be anti-Muggle," he replied.

"Fair enough. Still, it might be worth discussing."

"Don't let Perrine hear you say that," Albus said. At the main table, their head of house was still arguing vehemently. Fiére seemed to have slipped away, but Professor Hawke was now arguing back and judging by her colour, she was equally passionate about the subject. He'd have studied them further, but his attention was drawn by their two Prefects.

"Timetables, get your timetables here!" Shane shouted as he distributed pieces of parchments among the students, "never miss a class again with these brand new timetables!"

"Can't you ever do something without making a show out of it?" Claire countered, though she smiled when she did so. She was on the other end of the table, sending timetables to people with rapid flicks of her wand.

"I'm afraid that goes against my nature," Shane remarked as he gave Albus and his friends their timetables and snatched a Chocolate Frog from Scorpius.

Albus quickly scanned over it and was pleased to see they had quite some classes together with the Gryffindors. It'd be nice to be able to talk to Rose again.

"Oh joy, Herbology to begin the day. I can't wait to start my week with magical plants. Do you think we'll start with plants that bite, or plants that are poisonous?" Scorpius drawled.

"No complaining please Scorpius. My godfather teaches that class so you better give it your all in there, preferably without the sass," Albus reprimanded with a grin, "anyway, let's get going. We don't want to be late."

"Yeah, we might be fed to a man-eating Geranium otherwise," Sophie replied as she stowed her Prophet in her bag and got up, "Follow me! I know the way to the Greenhouse!"


	10. Chapter V

**Chapter V**

It turned out Sophie had in fact not known the way to the Greenhouse. Still, despite first getting lost and then having to take several detours to avoid suits of armour, they still managed to make it to class in time, albeit only barely. The three of them took a seat near the front, the rest of the greenhouse already being filled with their fellow Slytherins and Ravenclaws. Neville was already present and was in the middle of some plants, trimming a rather vicious-looking one with great care.

"Good morning," he cheerfully greeted them, "I'm glad you managed to find the classroom. First years often struggle with that."

"Good morning professor," the three of them echoed, Albus almost stumbling over the unfamiliar address. It'd take a lot of attentiveness on his end to not call Neville 'Neville' when other students were around. After a few more cuts with his scissors, Neville walked up to their bench, stopped in front of Albus and lowered his voice.

"How's your first day been so far Al? Liking it in Slytherin?" he asked.

"I can't complain," Albus responded.

"Good. I must say, I was surprised by your Sorting, but I think you'll have a great time there. Still, if anything's wrong, just let me know" Neville concluded, before walking back to the front of the class.

Albus let out a relieved breath. He was glad Neville hadn't stuck around for too long. While he loved his godfather, people already stared at him enough because of his surname. If teachers started chatting to him a lot as well, he'd draw even more attention. Nonetheless, Albus was glad Neville had checked up on him. He'd always been that kind of godfather, the responsible, caring one. Then again, Albus wondered if Neville would have been equally concerned with his well-being if he'd been sorted in a different house.

"So that's Professor Longbottom. He looks too calm and friendly to be a war hero," Sophie whispered.

"Well, Monday is his day off. He only beheads snakes six days a week," Albus replied, "besides, I's not as if there's any need for him to act all heroic right now."

"Unless one of those plants suddenly decides to eat someone, like me. Father still doesn't get along with the Herbology Professor so maybe the plants have picked up on the mutual dislike," Scorpius muttered.

"Neville's above that," Albus said curtly.

"If you say so, it'd be nice if someone didn't hark on me because of my last name," Scorpius mumbled. Albus shrugged and was glad the conversation was interrupted by the start of the class.

"Good morning everyone! I am Professor Longbottom and I'll be your Herbology teacher for the next seven years. Experience has taught me that people have rather low expectations of this class and would prefer more time doing proper magic. That is a mistake. In this class we will study plants that are more awe-inspiring than magical creatures. We will discuss herbs that can be more impactful than any potion. We will discuss plants capable of feats you cannot mimic with your wand," Neville spoke, waving his arms around wildly, "I can give countless examples but for the sake of brevity I'll limit myself to one, namely Devil's snare. It's a vicious plant by all means but perfect for guarding certain objects, such as the Philosopher's Stone," he said with a genial smile, "of course it will be a while before we tackle that one. Today, we'll start with slightly more innocuous plants."

Two hours later Albus and his friends left the class, each of them tired and covered in dirt. Albus was grinning from head to toe. He had survived his first class of Hogwarts and while it hadn't involved any magic, it had featured a flower that had the unfortunate self-defence mechanism of bursting in flames when touched. Needless to say, there weren't that many Fireflowers left in the wild.

"Okay, Longbottom's one of the good ones," Scorpius admitted, "I wish he thought a class that involved a bit less dirt and potted plants but apart from that, no complaints."

"Yeah, he's good," Sophie agreed, "but isn't it weird to be taught by your godfather Albus?"

"It is yeah, but I'll get used to it. And it helps that he's a rather approachable teacher. If he ruled his classroom with an iron hand, it'd be stranger to take him seriously all of a sudden," Albus replied as they walked through the corridor. In the distance you could hear an explosion.

"Okay, next is History of Magic," Sophie said going over her timetable, "also with the Ravenclaws."

"Great! Then we can just keep following them," Scorpius said with a wave at the group of Ravenclaws walking in front of them.

"I know a shortcut though," Sophie offered.

"No Sophie, you don't," Scorpius said, "Does anyone know what to expect for History of Magic?"

"She's new so in all likelihood she'll have no idea what she's doing. Then again, she can't be worse than Binns," Sophie said.

"It's probably going to be about Goblins. The Ministry heavily encourages that, just to make sure we won't mistakes later that will start another Goblin war," Albus said, "they're prickly and devious creatures. My dad's still peeved that one ran off with Gryffindor's sword once."

"Is that why he destroyed three Founder's Objects? To spite them?"

"Somehow I doubt that, Sophie," Scorpius replied. Albus just shrugged. He was pretty sure Scorpius and Sophie knew more about those things than he did. Dad hated talking about the war.

"Oh look at that, we've found a classroom in less than thirty minutes," Albus remarked as they turned the corner and saw that the Ravenclaws walked in a room, "let's sit in back, just in case Binns suddenly makes an appearance and reclaims his post," he added warily.

The three of them dropped down a bench near the rear next to some Ravenclaws and took in the classroom. Sophie happily waved at her brother Ambroise who was sitting in the front row, quill and parchment at the ready. He waved back and then resumed his conversation with the two girls who sat next to him.

"Typical; Ambroise's been here for a day and he already has a fanclub," Sophie said as she surveyed the room. Albus did the same and was surprised by the amount of things Tanner had dragged with her to Hogwarts.

The walls were covered with photos and newspaper excerpts. A large amount of them dealing with the last two wizarding wars, ' _Undesirable Number One spotted at Gringots!_ ' read one of them for instance. However, some were older. One picture showed the duel between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, with a ' _Duel of giants shakes wizarding world_ ' headline. The rest of the room was filled with antique objects, going from old wands to old goblets. A model of an old ship even hung from the ceiling.

"If we get bored, we can always start counting the amount of times your dad features in those headlines," Sophie suggested. Albus grimaced. This was just what he needed, a classroom drawing attention to his legacy.

Their conversation was interrupted by Professor Tanner walking into the room. A broad smile was plastered across her face and with a flick of her wand the blackboard was filled with a large timeline.

"Good morning! I am Professor Tanner and I am your new History of Magic teacher. As you are first years, you have not had the pleasure of having been taught by my illustrious predecessor."

"Illustrious? Clearly she never attended one of his lectures," a Ravenclaw next to Albus scoffed, "my brother said he used to catch up on sleep during this class."

"However, I do hope you will nonetheless enjoy this class. First, let us start with a roll call," she continued as she got a piece of parchment out of her pocket and began going over the names. When she reached Albus, she looked up from her parchment. She paused for a few seconds and then called his name.

"Present," Albus said from the rear. Her eyes immediately darted to him.

"Glad to have you here Mister Potter. I'm a big fan of your father. In fact, he'll be one of the main topics of our class," she said in an excited tone. Albus just wished he shared her excitement.

"Yes, we will not be talking about Goblins in this class," she said, her roll call completely forgotten, "not only because I can't tell them apart, but also because there are more fascinating topics, such as the Dark Lord Voldemort. While his fall is still very recent and many wouldn't consider it history, I feel the importance of the topic warrants discussion. You need to know what happened to make sure the same never happens again. It was a dark time," she said as she waved at the newspaper articles.

"It was a time many of your parents will remember. Perhaps you'll already know something from their stories," she said, her gaze still fixed on Albus, "but my intention is to transcend the anecdotal, to look beyond the acts of the few, no matter how heroic. We will start with the beginning of the First Wizarding War which most historians consider to begin in 1970. Of course, Voldemort had already undertaken action before," Tanner said as her students vigorously began to write things down with their quills.

"Hey Potter," a girl behind him whispered. He cast a quick look backwards and saw one of his fellow Slytherins behind him, Holly Vance. He thought it was her at least. As she was leaning over her paper, her curly blond hair was currently obscuring her face

"Yes?"

"Can you stop stealing my thunder? First my Sorting gets overlooked by half of Hogwarts because you got sorted into Slytherin right before me, and now I'm even ignored for the roll call," she grumbled.

"I'm sorry but I don't see what I can do about it. Maybe you should change your surname. How about Anderson?" Albus offered. Vance gave him a dirty look before she focused back on her parchment and continued taking notes

When the bell rang, the room seemed to let out a collective sigh. Most of them were massaging their writing hand and several broken quills covered the floor. For a second, it seemed Tanner would ignore the signal but then she relented.

"Oh, look how the time flies. Well, we'll just have to continue next time in that case. Please read chapters one and two in Recent Wizarding History for next class and enjoy your lunch," Tanner said, speaking for the first time since the begin of her story at a normal pace..

"Do you think she's sponsored by a parchment producer?" Sophie said as she shoved several rolls in her bag, "enthusiasm is nice and I like a good story, but when you cover half the First Wizarding War in one class, something might be wrong."

"Maybe she's undead, that would explain why she doesn't have to breathe," Albus said as they walked out of the classroom and headed for lunch.

"So, how does it feel to have a class about your family?" Sophie asked.

"Simply amazing," Albus muttered, "I love being in the limelight. I can't wait to find out how many of Skeeter's rumours about dad were actually true."

"At least your grandfather doesn't get brought up every time Voldemort killed someone," Scorpius muttered, "I'll be the first to admit granddad Lucius is a bit of a jerk, but I'd prefer not to have to hear it in class. And she hasn't even gotten to the Second Wizarding War where my dad played a pivotal role in getting Dumbledore killed. The five people in Hogwarts who weren't aware of my background are going to get filled in. Just splendid."

"Well yeah, but she doesn't spend half the class staring at you and that's just as annoying, trust me. You'd think I have a scar on my head just like dad."

"Be happy, you're the teacher's pet without any effort whatsoever," Sophie said, "both Longbottom and Tanner are clearly very fond of you, while they've hardly noticed me. I wouldn't know why, I'm amazing," Sophie said as she tossed her brown hair back, or at least tried to.

"You hair's too short for haughty moves like that," Scorpius remarked..

"Yeah, I noticed. Quite unfortunate," Sophie said as they walked into the Great Hall, "at least I got us to the Great Hall without getting lost."

"Sophie, you were just following the group," Albus pointed out, "otherwise I'm sure we'd have gotten lost."

"Please Albus, give me a little bit more credit than that," Sophie huffed.

"I'll give you more credit as soon as you stop getting lost on your way to class," Albus said under his breath.

 **A/N** : I'll be rather busy the next 10 days, so the updates will likely be a lot less frequent. I'll try to get one or two chapters out, but I can't promise anything. Afterwards I should have enough time though, so it's just a temporary lull.


	11. Chapter VI

**Chapter VI**

When they entered the Great Hall for lunch, Albus spotted Rose making her way through the crowd in the distance. He quickly excused himself, but it seemed Sophie and Scorpius hardly noticed his departure, involved as they were in their discussion. At first, Albus had felt some trepidation about approaching his cousin, but his earlier talk with James had reassured him at least somewhat. Clearly his Sorting hadn't changed their perception of him, or not yet at least.

"Hey Rose, how are you doing?" he said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. She turned around, her hand already wandering towards her wand but once she saw him her expression softened and her hand dropped to her side.

"Al!" she shouted, giving him a fierce hug, "good to see you. How are you doing? How were classes? How's Slytherin? James told me you were already fitting in."

"Of course he would say that. I'm sure he's glad he's going to remain Gryffindor's only golden boy. However, for once he's actually right," Albus chuckled, "I'm doing fine. Everyone's nicer than expected. I haven't heard a single bigoted comment yet," he said as he tried to get free from Rose's embrace.

"That's great. I was worried a bit, but it seems you're doing great. I noticed you were even talking to Malfoy; you sure dad approves of that?" she said with a mischievous grin.

"He's nice actually. A bit timid, but okay. I doubt even uncle Ron would be able to say anything bad about him."

"Then you don't know dad as well as I do. He'll find something for sure. We've got classes together this afternoon anyway, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt at the very least until then. Is it true they give you your own pet cobra in Slytherin that you can use to torment other students with?"

"What? No," Albus stammered.

"I was just teasing Al. Relax," Rose said as she patted him on the cheek, "you clearly need to get used to your status as Slytherin. You're allowed to call us rash and brainless, and we'll make fun of you for being evil."

"Sounds like I got the short end of the stick there. And how are you doing Rose? You seemed a bit tense when I tapped you on the shoulder," Albus said.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, turning away. Albus grabbed her by the shoulder to prevent her from leaving.

"Rose, I'm not your mom, you can tell me things," Albus pressed, "and if you don't, you know I'll just keep bugging you till you do. We've been friends long enough for that."

"It's nothing major. It's just… I'll tell you later, okay?" she added as she looked around, "how about we meet directly after lunch at the Defence classroom? I doubt anyone will get there too early," she said, "and I'd prefer to do my story without risking being overheard."

"Sure. Well, then I better start eating if we want enough time for our talk," Albus said as he let her go and made his way to the Slytherin table.

Albus was worried. It wasn't like Rose to be that jumpy. Clearly something was bothering her. He just hoped she'd be honest. She had always tried to hide it whenever something was wrong, not wanting to be weak. That's what you get when your parents helped bring down Voldemort and are capable of handling anything the world throws at them. The same thing is expected of you, the same resilience and independence. That was one thing Albus could sympathise with for sure.

He looked at Rose who was leaning over her plate and spooning down her food. She hardly seemed to say something to the people around her. Albus frowned, Rose reminded him of Scorpius at the Opening Feast. Could it be that he had actually ended up in the better of the two houses? He shook his head and dropped down next to Scorpius. He'd enjoy his food first; he could worry later.

"Everything okay Albus? You look even more concerned than Scorpius usually does," Sophie said, "and he's a real downer, trust me. I'm not sure what's the saddest, his stories about his family or the fact that he believes the Chudley Cannons can win the cup this year."

"I'm just thinking," Albus replied.

"In that case, don't think too often. It looks terrifying," Sophie said as she studied a dish before her, "what even is this?"

"Mash," Scorpius said.

"Mash of what though?" Sophie said as she took a spoonful and held it before her eyes.

"Mash," Scorpius simply replied as he went for a second helping. Sophie raised an eyebrow, lifted the spoon in the bowl and studied the composition of the mash, letting it slowly drip down.

"I'm not eating that. Not now, not ever," Sophie declared.

Albus ignored their exchange and just started shoving down food, taking care to also try some of the mash. It was, as could be expected at Hogwarts, delicious.

"What's the rush? I admit we may have gotten lost a couple of times, but I really don't think it's so extreme that we have to hurry through lunch. Usually, we only incur a delay of about fifteen minutes," Sophie said.

"Maybe he's just trying to have an excuse to leave without you, as people who go with you tend to get lost," Scorpius filled in for Albus whose mouth was too full to permit a civilised answer.

"Oh please. It's easy to just follow and criticise. Why don't you lead us next time?" Sophie shot back.

"Sure," Scorpius shrugged as Albus finally managed to swallow his food.

"I promised to have a chat with Rose before class," Albus said as he downed a cup of pumpkin juice and rose from his chair, "see you two later."

"Oh no you don't, we're coming with you," Scorpius said as he pushed his chair back, "otherwise you might get lost. Or worse, I guide Sophie directly to the classroom and she denies it afterwards because there were no witnesses."

"Well, no offence, but I think Rose would prefer to talk to me in private," Albus said, brushing some crumbs from his robes.

"No worries, we'll just sit in the class in the meantime. Or we'll sneak off like proper snakes and explore the surrounding corridors," Sophie promised as she wiped her mouth and got up as well.

"And get lost while exploring," Scorpius added, earning him a glare from Sophie.

"Okay, fair enough," Albus said as the three of them headed for the exit.

"Hey Potter, are you trying to be Perrine's favourite as well by being half an hour early for class?" Vance said as they passed her. She clearly hadn't rushed her food and was still eating.

"Just going for a walk Vance, for digestion," Albus answered.

"Of course Potter, of course," Vance said as she raised her cup in mock salute, "if your digestion earns us any house points, do let me know."

"She's annoying," Scorpius said as soon as they were out of hearing range.

"Of course she is, she's in Slytherin," Albus replied as they walked through the doors of the Great Hall.

In the end, Scorpius managed to lead them directly to the Defence classroom. If not for one exploding suit of armour, it would have been a flawless journey. As it was, a helmet landed on Scorpius' head after the explosion and it took several minutes for them to free their guide from the thing. His normally so carefully combed hair was rather dishevelled as a result, though Scorpius didn't seem to care much and stowed the helmet in his backpack, claiming it'd be useful for Halloween.

Rose was already there, leaning against the wall and trying to act casual. She was twirling her wand in her hand and looked at a book, but Albus could tell she wasn't actually reading it. For one, she hadn't turned a page for at least fifteen seconds, which was way below her average reading speed.

"Hey Rose," Albus greeted.

"Hey Al," Rose said as she cast a suspicious look at his two companions, "I didn't expect extra visitors."

"Oh, right. Rose, these are Sophie and Scorpius. Scorpius, Sophie, this is Rose," Albus introduced quickly. Scorpius and Rose shook hands, the former much more enthusiastically than the latter. Despite her promise to reserve judgment for now, Rose didn't seem too pleased to meet a Malfoy. Sophie on the other hand was greeted with more warmth.

"Good to see you again Rose," Sophie said as she pulled Rose in an embrace. Rose returned it a bit awkwardly and voiced her agreement.

"Anyway, we'll leave the two of you to it. We'll see if we can find other pieces of armour to complement Scorpius' helmet," Sophie said as she dragged Scorpius around the corner.

"Yeah, don't ask. They can be a bit strange," Albus said in reply to Rose's arched eyebrow, "so, what's bothering you? You seemed kind of lonely during lunch."

"Are you spying on me?" Rose countered as she folded her arms across her chest, "I don't need someone watching over my every move."

"Spying? Hardly, but as we're both eating in the same hall, I couldn't help but notice. So, what's up Rose?"

"Well, first of all, I'm not that lonely as you assume. It's just that my regular lunch partner already landed himself in the hospital wing," Rose stammered.

"Why is he in the hospital wing?" Albus asked.

"He's a Gryffindor, Al. That stuff just happens occasionally. This time it was caused by him having his first Potions class. It was rather spectacular, the explosion even left a small mushroom cloud," Rose grinned.

"Okay, fair enough, and the rest of your house? You'd think someone would talk to you at least," Albus pressed.

"It's nothing major, we just had a small disagreement this morning."

"What, you had a disagreement with all other first year Gryffindors? How did you do that?"

"Well, Charles, that's my friend in the hospital, and I had a disagreement with all other first years," Rose corrected, "it's just a small thing. It will get better soon enough. Don't worry about it Al," Rose said dismissively. Albus kept his eyes on her, but Rose just shrugged, "really, you worry too much. I appreciate the concern, but I'll be fine. It's you who should watch your back, surrounded by Slytherins as you are," Rose winked.

"Don't worry Rose, I will. But what did you argue over?" he pressed, unwilling to change the topic just yet.

"Just the article in the Prophet. Someone voiced their support for the Manifesto and when someone insulted the current quota system, I felt obliged to defend it."

"Let me guess, you did remember aunt Hermione's defence, unlike me," Albus said as understanding dawned upon him. Rose was very much her mother's daughter. Dad had sometimes told him about his time in Hogwarts and from what Albus had understood, aunt Hermione hadn't had that many friends in the beginning. Her intelligence and eagerness had been intimidating apparently. Judging by what he'd just heard, it seemed Rose faced similar issues. Albus just hoped it wouldn't take a troll to remedy the situation.

"Don't worry about it Al," Rose muttered, "just leave me to it, okay? I'll sort it out. James is also already trying to meddle but you Potters need to understand I can take care of myself just fine."

"Okay, okay," Albus said, raising his hands in assurance, "I won't meddle in your affairs."

"Besides, if you had just gotten yourself sorted into Gryffindor, there wouldn't have been an issue to begin with," Rose snapped. Albus swallowed and gave Rose an annoyed glare.

"Don't hold my Sorting against me Rose," he warned, "that's hardly fair."

She let out a sigh and seemed to deflate.

"Sorry Al, I'm just a bit testy today it seems."

"Don't worry about it," Albus said as he slapped her on the shoulder and led her to the classroom, "let's just find a place together somewhere. I'm curious for my first Defence class and until your friend's out of the hospital wing or you've sorted things out with your house, you're sitting with me," he said as he guided her into the classroom and took a seat near the front.

"Oh, yes, sitting with a Slytherin will definitely help my reputation", Rose sneered though she did sit down next to Albus.

"of course it will, everyone knows we are the coolest kids around."

 **A/N:** Still quite busy so the next update might take another week. Hope you enjoy the update and as always, I do love reviews. Thanks to The Three Stoogies' last review some errors in previous updates are now corrected.


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